How We Get Up
by peenislover
Summary: In a world where the dead walk, Ross is only just beginning to remember what the hell is going on. When she meets Rick's group, she begins to realize what the world truly is. Screwed. However, she uncovers why some people make life worth living.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

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Her eyes begin to flutter open. _What is going on? Where am I? Why does it smell like horse shit? _These are the questions she asks herself. After she gets her bearings, she finally sits up. The woman had been lying in a wheat field. Scanning her surroundings, the disgruntled girl sees a nice, but abandoned sized house and what looks to be the ruins of a burned down farm. The rest is forest and a road. As she continues looking around, she tries to stand up, working through the dizziness, and realizes her head is bleeding. _Great. Just peachy_.

She taps into her memories to see just what the hell she has gotten herself into. Her name is..._think harder, Ross! Oh…well my name is Ross I suppose_. Hold on she thought she was a girl…*checks*…still a girl, just a boy name. Why would her mother use such a name? Now that is the real question. A flash of kind blue eyes, a few gray hairs in a head full of unruly blond curls, and an infectious smile goes through Ross' mind. A pang of sadness fills her heart, and she realizes her mother is dead. How? In her heart she knows, but she pushes those memories out of her mind. As it all starts to come back, she realizes the last thing she remembers is throwing her college cap in the air. After that, all she hears are the piercing screams of her peers.

Ross starts to wander aimlessly in the field, when she sees where the smell is coming from. It's a beautiful brown and white horse. As she walks towards it, the stallion begins to get nervous. Slowly Ross calms it down, and begins to stroke its neck. Fortunately, she begins to realize that this is her horse, Carpus. Now the name does have a story; however, that story is for another day when she is not worried about her lack of memories. He looks at her with that exasperated face of _I can't believe it took you this long to figure out who I am._ Usually when Ross rides a horse, she doesn't bring camping supplies, a machete, and her dad's rifle. Desperate times call for desperate measures? She hopes she hasn't become some kind of serial killer; that would be such a drag. After the could be serial killer mounts Carp, she begins to trot along the road, away from the eerie burnt farm.

Ross rides for about twenty minutes, when she realize there are no cars or people anywhere. Did her serial killer alter ego murder everyone? Eh…too farfetched even for Ross. The only logical explanation is she is the only one left on good ole Earth. And that's when she hears the moaning and the stench of dead flesh. Ross whips her head behind her to see five apparent cannibals desperately trying to get to her. So scratch that point about her being the last one on good ole Earth. She seems to attract only unwanted attention. It is then that when Ross looks into the soulless, yellow eyes of the supposed cannibal, it all comes flooding back.

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**So this is my first fanfiction. I have been reading other's stories for two years, and I believe its time I try. It will most definitely be a Rick/OC. Constructive criticism is always welcome and much appreciated. Thanks so much for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**The Walking Dead**_

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_Flashback_

_Ross threw her Florida University cap into the air; she was finally finished with med school. Her dad and two sisters were sitting in the bleachers waving and clapping excitedly. Suddenly, the sounds of sirens and helicopters cut the applause short. Everyone in the gym looked around nervously as alarms continued to sound. Without warning, military personnel burst through the gym doors shouting at everyone to get out through the back door into the buses. The new graduates shuffled to the doors, knocking or pushing people out of their way. It was complete and utter chaos. _

_Ross' dad was bellowing at her to come to him instead of the buses. Trying to cut through the crowd was not as easy of a task as some may think. It was kind of like cutting through rock, and she thinks she was about that successful. So Ross mouthed to her father to meet her at her car, since she had driven from her apartment. That's when she heard the gunshots being fired. One of the soldiers had been firing his machine gun into the air, and abruptly started shooting innocent bystanders. Her dad ran to a civilian that had been shot and started arguing with the armed man. Ross was yelling at him to just let him do his job—whatever the hell was going on he did not need to get involved—and he just looked at her with a smile and shouted that he could handle himself. Then her father collapsed to the floor with a bullet hole in his head. _

_Her mind shut down. The stunned graduate stood unmoving in the crowd as people pushed against her time after time. Nothing registered. She kept thinking her dad would sit up and laugh it off; there was never a time when he would show her family his human side. He was always invincible. The screams from her sisters were starting to creep back into her consciousness. She vaguely remember someone dragging her towards the janitor's closet. _

"_ROSSO ANNE DEVLIN! YOU COME BACK TO EARTH RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Ross just stared at her oldest sister, Cleo. She had tears streaming down her beautiful high cheek bones. Her strawberry-blond hair was disheveled, and her usually wise, gray eyes were darting around in fear. She was a complete wreck, which only meant Ross looked like some kind of zombie. _

"_Where is Zoe, Cleo?" Ross finally asked. She gave her a look of absolute shame. "Cleo? Cleo! What happened to her?" She physically shook Cleo's shoulders, and she just looked down. "Listen to me. Where is Zoe? Curly blond hair, green eyes, round face?! CLEO ANSWER ME!" she screamed at her. _

_She looked at Ross with wide, watery eyes and said, "I lost her. I lost my sister. How could I be so stupid?! Zoe was holding my hand when we were trying to get you. And then...she was. She was gone, another face in the crowd. But I had to get you. You were standing there, and I had no idea where she was. So I rushed to the only family that I had left." Zoe was gone. Her father was gone. It was just her and Cleo. What was this nightmare? It just had to be some hellish kind of dream? Right? But she would never blame Cleo. She had always been her rock, the popular girl she always looked up to. Ross pushed all the thoughts about her family away. The best thing she could do was move on to the next question. _

"_Cleo, what the fuck is going on?" Ross whispered. "Why the fuck was that soldier shooting at innocent people? Is this some kind of joke? And my phone is out of service. Shit." Cleo glanced at her and was about to speak, when they heard voices shouting. _

_A gruff voice began to yell orders from outside the door, "Okay boys, we gotta go into each room and check for civilians. If ya find some just bring 'em outside to the birds, who will take 'em to Atlanta. Supposedly that is the safest city near us. Now if they give ya any trouble, just knock 'em out. Do not, I repeat, do not fucking shoot 'em. I know when we all heard the news of people comin back from the dead, we kinda panicked. Fuller over here got carried away and killed some civilians he thought were biters. If all of yall are that fucking stupid, I'll quit right now. Now this is some kind of fucked up disease, but as of now if ya see a real—emphasis on the real, yeah I'm lookin at you Fuller—shoot it in the head. These shitheads are dangerous, and I know it sounds like some bad horror movie, but they will eat you. Think of it as an animal; there ain't no human left. It will only die if ya shoot it in the skull, so use all that hard ass training and hit the damn bullseye. Alright, move out!"_

_She looked at Cleo with wide eyes, and the two sisters instantly latched onto each other's hands. There was no way they were going with those assholes. Thank the Lord the door had a lock on the inside for some unknown reason. Ross guesses the janitor wanted some alone time; no wonder this hallway was always so dirty. _

_They waited silently until they were sure all the military, choppers, and buses had left. Which according to Cleo's watch was about a day and a half. So they stood up and walked out of the building. It was completely deserted. However, there were cars everywhere because the buses had taken all of them to Atlanta. At the time, Ross didn't know how lucky she was for not meeting up with a walker, as she probably would have died right then and there. _

_Cleo and Ross got into her Nissan X-Terra—yes she has a fucking sweet car—and headed for their family's river house, as it was only an hour away from UF. _

"_Do you think they were being serious about the dead walking, Cleo? Cleo? Hey Cleo you in there?" Ross said to the girl looking out the window. _

_She looked at Ross with accusing eyes and screamed, "What is your fucking problem, Ross?! We just lost Dad and Zoe, and you haven't even shed a damn tear. I was crying my eyes out last night, and you just stared at me! Who cares about some disease? We just lost the rest of our family!" _

"_You think I don't give a shit?! Well I have some news for you. I care just as much as you do! I just have to…to keep moving. I have to keep driving." Ross said in a faraway voice. She couldn't handle Cleo yelling at her anymore. Her family was gone, but she just couldn't process it yet. _

_Suddenly, Ross saw some guy on the side of the road walking. It looked kinda like he had a bum leg, so she stopped and rolled down the window. "Need a lift, dude?" All they got in response was, "__Uuuuunnnngg."_ _As Ross did a double take she noticed his rotting flesh, sickly eyes, and bloody mouth. It kinda looked like he wanted them for supper, so naturally Ross and Cleo screamed and sped off. _

"_I'm pretty sure that was a biter. What do you think, Cleo?" she said. _

"_Well I will never fault you again about contemplating this disease. I believe those soldiers were right. We need to kill these things, like we would an animal." Cleo uttered in a matter of fact tone. _

_When they finally got to the house, there was a roamer wandering around the yard. Ross got out her rifle from my car—dad had always told her to be ready—and shot the bitch in the heart. Unfortunately, the corpse kept walking. "SHOOT IT IN THE HEAD, ROSS!" her sister shouted. After Ross missed about three more times, she finally shot it in the head. As she examined the sickly color of the corpse's skin, she noticed a huge chunk bitten out of its arm. When Ross was about to examine her more thoroughly, Cleo said, "I think we should head inside and get some supplies. It seems like this thing will probably stick for a while." Ross couldn't agree more._

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_It had been almost six months since the outbreak. It had been almost six months since Ross last saw Zoe and Dad. It had been almost six months since Cleo and her weren't constantly on their toes. It had been almost six months since Ross had taken a hot shower. Her list in order of things she missed from before the outbreak is as follows: Dad and Zoe, food, and showers. They were holed up in a small house around some farmland near Atlanta. Since Atlanta was a bust, they kept moving. The two sisters met some groups along the way, but they never stuck with them. However, they always stuck with each other. People in the groups would always comment how the pair was attached at the hip. They had to be. There had been so much death. In a sense, their past selves were dead and were replaced by women who were subject to the harsh reality of this world. _

_Cleo had become really talented with her longbow, and Ross just hacked away with her machete. They were such a good team. Cleo brought back the food, and she brought back the medicine. It was somewhat of an advantage because Ross had been training to be a surgeon. She helped with the common ailments of the groups, and they would give her something valuable in return. Sometimes Ross felt bad for taking their supplies, but those supplies saved their lives more than a few times. She kept telling herself it was for Cleo's sake. _

_Ross looked at herself in the mirror. She was going to turn twenty-seven in a few weeks according to Cleo's calendar. Her bronze colored hair was matted, and her normally deep, blue eyes were dull. Ross' usual statuesque body was malnourished and unshapely. In short, she looked like a hobo. After staring at what she had become for about fifteen minutes, she headed downstairs into the kitchen to prepare the rabbit Cleo had caught. Suddenly, Ross paled at the sound of her sister shrieking, "ROSS! HELP ME!" _

_Immediately, she grabbed her shot gun and machete and sprinted outside to see her sister getting bit on the collar bone. "NO!" she screamed and shot four walkers in the head. She sprinted to Cleo, taking off her sweater to staunch the bleeding. Ross whispered, "It's gonna be fine, Cleo, don't worry. I'll patch you up in no time. I just have to…to get some alcohol to clean the wound. Don't worry. I got this. Doctor Ross is gonna fix you right up." Cleo looked up at her with a wry smile._

"_How is it…you…you always find…a way to bring a-alc-ohol into the conver-versa-tion? Don't…don't worry about me…you just keep a…a look out for…Zoe. I-I love you so much." _

_She breathed her last breath, and Ross plunged her dagger into her head. The lone sister sat there and wept. Ross buried her at the house she will never forget. Cleo was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. After saying a prayer, Ross finally stood up. _

_It was then that she knew she had to keep moving. The newly determined woman walked to the barn that held her horse, Carpus, got all her supplies, and left the house where her sister was buried. _

_Carpus and Ross wondered the street to find another house to stay for the night. One had a burned down farm, so they went to take a closer look. Suddenly, Carpus bucked, and Ross fell and hit her head on something. Then everything went dark…_

_End Flashback_

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So naturally Ross stabs the yellow-eyed bastard in the head.

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**So this ends my second chapter. Boy that was freaking long. So I'm not sure about the rating. Since the cussing is pretty prominent, it should be rated M. Right? Help me out here guys! Haha. Anyways next chapter Ross will be meeting up with a specific TWD group (hell yes). Finally something not depressing! Hope you guys liked it! **

**P.S. A very, very special thank you to my four reviews from Chaoscrew, Ava-Night, Laura201112, and ! You guys make it worth writing :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

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The walker Ross had pierced fell to the ground, and a feeling of utter defeat settles in her mind. Her whole family is gone. How is she supposed to keep going when there is nothing left to live for? That's when it hits her. People have been seeing their family members die since the beginning of time. From dying of old age to being killed in action, death has always been a part of life. The way the human race die is just a little different nowadays.

No matter how much the lonely woman tries to convince herself, she still cannot fathom never seeing her sister's smile or hearing her contagious laughter. Then Ross begins to realize she would slap her upside the head for thinking such depressing thoughts. Cleo would then proceed to yell at her to go find some supplies, so she doesn't die of carelessness.

So Ross took her sister's advice. She kept going.

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For two weeks she scavenged and fought for her life alone. It was the hardest two weeks so far. Ross would wake up with her head on Carpus' stomach to the cans jingling, letting her know a walker was approaching. She would kill it, gather her supplies, mount Carpus, and ride till they found another place to sleep. Today was a change of her daily routine. They needed supplies, so they rode into a small town.

First off, she sees a rusty sign saying "Welcome to King County!" However, the place looks anything but welcoming. It has graffiti written on the road saying "Turn around and live." So naturally Ross keeps going. Whoever is living here, had crafted ingenious traps to keep the walkers out. Now that is her kind of group. However, if they are that prepared for walkers, then she might need to keep a look out for anything unfriendly. As expected, she feels a gun cocked against her head. Guns have been pointed at her head more times than Ross cares to admit this year. She looks up to the average built, black man and says, "Maybe I should have turned around?"

"Yes, I think that would have been best. But seeing as you didn't, I'll have to ask you a few questions." He says, before he hits her head with the butt of his gun. And then everything goes black. Again.

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Ross wakes up groggily, hoping against hope that she gets breakfast in bed. However, she begins to realize that she is not, in fact, in her warm, comfy bed waiting for the most important meal of the day. Not even close. Ross is in a holding cell, hand cuffed. She waits for about two hours for her captor to come question her. And in comes the man of the hour.

"I have yet to learn your name, girl." He stonily says.

"Well," she states defiantly, "I'm not gonna tell you anyways. You know why? Because I don't know yours, so why would I give you that kind of personal information, stranger? By the way, where did you put Carpus?! My horse!"

"My name is Morgan. And your horse is an abandoned store near here with some oats. But that is not what I want to talk about. What is your name and what is the purpose of you crossing into my territory?" the man coldly questions.

So she answers, but only because he tells her his name and is feeding Carpus some oats: "Rosso Devlin at your service. But most people just call me Ross. I came to your "territory" because I need supplies. Why else would I come into town?"

"I specifically painted those words on the street so no one would come in. What the hell am I supposed to do with you now?!"

Ross decides to answer for him, "Well I mean I could help you out in any way I can, then be on my way with some supplies."

"What makes you think I need any help at all?" Morgan asks.

"Everyone needs a group. Being alone will make you go crazy. Trust me. I know. My sister…she passed a few weeks ago. You're the first son of a bitch I've come across. For a while there, I thought I was the last one."

"Well you're not. Sorry about your sister," he says gruffly, "but I think you need to leave. I can handle myself alone. I don't need someone else to protect. You'll just die like my family. Anyways, I need to get rid of everything. I have to…to clear. Just leave. You can have some supplies and ammo. I owe it to someone who helped me out a while back."

And that's when he unlocks her handcuffs, shoves some supplies in her backpack, and pushes her out the front doors of the police station.

"Your horse is in the pharmacy down the road a ways. Good luck I guess." Morgan says curtly.

Before he turns to go back in, Ross quickly shouts to him, "You don't have to do this, Morgan! I know you don't know me very well, but we'd be stronger together. I'd watch your back, and you'd watch mine. I can tell you're a good man. In this world, the humans need to stick together. You are pretty much sending me to my death! Is that what you want?!"

"You've gotten this far without a companion. You're better off without me anyways, and I work alone now. Just leave me alone, Ross. Leave before I kill you myself. LEAVE!" Morgan roars hysterically.

Ross didn't need telling twice, so she scampered away to find Carpus, away from the crazy man.

"She'll find a group. She's tough. Stronger than I'll ever be." Morgan mutters to himself.

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After Carpus and Ross had finally gotten out of King County, they scavenged throughout the winter. She did so many things she is not proud of. She killed and left behind too many people. But it's what survival takes nowadays. However, one good thing came of that winter. Ross met someone.

His name is Duncan Thompson, and she thinks she could be in love with him. When Ross found him, he was close to being dead. Duncan had been beaten by a terrible group and left for dead. She took pity on him and fixed him right up. He had thanked her profusely, saying "I can't believe you helped me!" "I'm so happy I've finally found someone who has some human left in them!" "I'll be forever in your debt!" blah blah blah. He did have an advantage of being seriously hot. After she had cleaned off all the blood from his face, she discovered clear blue eyes, black hair, and a strong jaw. There is no doubt in her mind that he is the sexiest man left in the apocalypse. They became fast friends. Ross trusted him with her life and told him her story. However, he was never been that forthcoming about his past. She doesn't blame him of course, as it is hard to say out loud all the things they have done to survive in this world. All she found out is he used to have a son, but he was killed after the outbreak. Every time he speaks of his child, Ross sees the tears forming in his sea blue eyes. A few nights ago things escalated between them. They were pretty close to the final level of intimacy before he stopped her. He huskily said, "I want to have a proper relationship before we get into that." Some fucking bullshit if you ask her. But she'll wait for Duncan if he isn't ready yet.

They have been together with Carpus for a while now, and they still haven't found sanctuary yet. However, after a long trek looking for supplies, they saw the prison.

"It's perfect." Ross states dreamily. Next thing she knows Duncan is hugging her like it is the last time he'd ever see her.

Duncan whispers, "I love you, Ross." That's when she knows she won't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

"I love you too, Duncan. It's you and me against the world," Ross declares.

"Let's be smart about this, Ross. I'm not sure if anyone is living here yet, but if they are we need to be prepared for anything. No one is just gonna let us in out of charity. Not everyone is as nice as you." He says, while winking at her.

"You are absolutely right, smarty. I think we need to look the least threatening as possible. If there is someone living there, they will probably have people watching in the towers. Let's slowly walk up to the fence."

Getting through the woods with Carpus had always been a struggle; however, today he is being completely stubborn. Something is wrong with him, but they cannot figure it out to save their lives. Suddenly, they hear the disgusting moanings of about twenty walkers.

"Shit fuck," Ross whispers.

After that, it becomes a blur of blood and screaming. She realizes that she's the one yelling, and Ross sees Duncan staring at her while a walker sinks its teeth into his neck. Carpus then shields her from the walkers. She knows her machete won't be enough in this instance, so she pulls out her Kimber and starts pulling the trigger. They get to Carpus, no matter how hard she tries. As sick as it is, the flesh-eating monsters are so distracted by her beloved horse that Ross has time to drag Duncan's lifeless body away from the chaos. The tears are blurring her vision, so she sits with her back against the fence of the prison with Duncan's head in her lap. "We were so close, Duncan. Why did I even fall for you when I knew this would happen? Morgan was right. I should just be alone. I can't protect anyone but myself." Ross murmurs to him, while stroking his hair.

Then the walkers start to come towards her, and Ross realizes she doesn't have the energy to fight back anymore. She closes her eyes and embraces death with full force.

Ross abruptly hears a few gun shots, and vaguely feel someone pulling her into the safety behind the fences. Through tears, Ross yells, "Don't you dare leave my Duncan out there. I need to be able to look at him. Please! I need him!" She looks up to see clear blue eyes staring intently at her. "Please. Please, don't take him away." She sobs.

"Bring the man to her, Daryl. I'm sure she knows what has to be done." The handsome man says.

The rough looking man, Daryl, brings Duncan to her. She pulls out her knife and whisper in his ear, "I'll love you forever and always." Ross then plunges the knife into his head, and looks back at the blue eyed man who pulled her from death.

"Thank you…" Ross utters.

"Rick Grimes, ma'am. I'm sorry we didn't come out in time." He says sorrowfully.

"Nothing you could have done, and it's Rosso Devlin by the way. But you can call me Ross." She states through silent tears.

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**Well that's it! She finally met Rick! HELL YEAH! Okay so first question. Was Morgan too out of character? I say that because I wasn't sure if he'd let anyone into his home without killing them. But then I thought, he hasn't been alone for as long, when you see him in season 3! So he can't be as crazy as he is in episode "Clear." Second question who should Ross become good friends with. I will be making a poll, but for now just post your thoughts by hitting the review button (: And lastly what did you think of the season finale?! Let's just say Rick will always be the most badass character of this show. Hope ya'll liked it! :D **

**P.S. A special thanks to **_**Chaoscrew, sandrinhaferreira, and Laura 201112! Ya'll make my day! (: **_

**P.P.S. And looks I will try to update every Sunday. That way you have your own version a walking dead episode to look forward to! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

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The cold, concrete floor presses to her body, as she pulls her blood spattered knees to her chest. _What am I supposed to do now? I am back where I started; I have no family, no one I love. Duncan. Gone. _ Ross looks at her surroundings through blurry vision. Vaguely, she sees the outlines of bunk beds and a cell door. A figure comes to the door.

A feminine voice softly says, "Hey, you alright in there? I heard about your friend, and we've all lost people we care about. So I'm here, if you're ever in need."

She glances at her as the concerned lady turns away. Long brown hair, pretty face, and remarkably pregnant. But Ross just sits there. No one can help her. She has become numb. Unfeeling. Without emotion. When _he_ died, she didn't feel what she was supposed to. She cried, not out of heartbreak, but out of how quickly she had already moved on.

Ross stands up to look in the mirror and peers at her disheveled hair, dull eyes, and tear streaked face. She is cold. A coldhearted monster. A hollow shell of who she used to be. Empty.

Survive. That is all the vacant girl has left. She will hold onto that word with steadfast determination.

In the end, she crawls into the bunk bed only to lay there for most of the night staring into the darkness. Eventually, Ross falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The drooling girl's eyes flutter open to see piercing blue eyes staring at her. Startled, she hits her head on the bunk bed above her. "Owww," she mutters.

"Well that wasn't how I was planning on waking you up, but I guess it worked." The man says, with a smile pulling at his pink lips at the sight of her drool. This only serves to irritate her further, as she quickly wipes the drool from her shoulder. "So…Ross right?" He asks. She just stares blankly at him. "Okay…Well I'm pretty sure I'm right since that's what you told us yesterday. I'm Rick Grimes if you don't remember. Anyways, we took precautions by taking away your weapons, as I'm sure you can understand. My son was the one who saw you and your friend start to come out of the forest. I'm not usually one to take in more people, but he insisted you needed our help. Undoubtedly, he was right. I really am sorry for your loss. We've decided to bury him today, if that's alright with you. But don't think I won't be watching you. Just one wrong move is all it takes. If I even hear of you doing something wrong, I will personally take you out. Now I'm going to ask you some questions. You think you can handle that?" Rick states firmly. Ross nods in submission. What does she have to lose? She just wants to bury him.

"Are you with a group?"

"No, I am alone."

"Why did you come to the prison?"

"We needed food and shelter. We were tired of running."

"Are you willing to be a beneficial and trusted part of this group?"

"Depends on y'all, honestly. I'm as trusting of you, as you are of me."

"Makes sense. Well I guess it's time to introduce you to everyone. Your hands will be cuffed until we go outside to bury your friend. Is that clear?" He asks.

"Crystal." Ross states tightly, pursing her lips.

Roughly, Rick takes her out of her cell and into what looks like a sitting area. In it sits and stands a group of nine more people. They look tense and stressed. What the hell would she do to them? She's only one person. By the looks of it, they've been through as tough of a winter as she has. Rick then gestures to a boy with a sheriff's hat, a face full of freckles, and a confident glint in his pale, blue eyes.

"This is the boy who saved your life, my son, Carl." He declares proudly.

With genuine gratefulness, she says, "Thank you, Carl. I don't take it lightly, which means I'm forever in your debt."

"It was nothin…" he utters looking downward. Ross smiles at him fondly, glad that there are still good people in this shitty world.

"Alright. Well everyone this here is Rosso Devlin, but I'm sure she'd rather be called Ross. She will be spending most of her time in a jail cell until she proves that she is trustworthy. Now Ross, let me introduce you to everyone." He states and begins to point at the group members. "This is Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, and Carol. Over here is Hershel and his two daughters, Maggie and Beth. You've met my son. Lastly this is my wife, Lori." Daryl stares at her, untrusting. He is unquestionably a full-fledged redneck, which she knows from experience is probably one of the best things a person can be during a zombie apocalypse. She can tell that he is handsome under all the dirt and blood, but she doesn't ponder that for too long. Glenn looks to be wary of her as an intruder. He stands halfway in front of Maggie, so immediately Ross knows they are together. T-Dog looks at her indifferently. It's hard to get a read, so she doesn't look for much longer. Carol seems timid at first, but then Ross notices a spark in her eyes. She is a survivor no doubt. Hershel is what she would imagine her grandfather to look like, if she had one. His kind eyes are a welcome sight. Beth just looks at her curiously. She looks to be about seventeen, yet she doesn't wear the same hard look as the rest of them. Her wide eyes still show the innocence of a youthful girl. Maggie, she can tell, is not content to let Glenn stand in front of her. She looks to be the toughest out of all the women, and she stares at Ross with an unconcerned look. She now knows who came to her cell. Lori. She looks at the handcuffed girl with a sympathetic stare. Ross finally comes back to Rick. His cool blue eyes look at her with curiosity at how she would respond to this grand meeting. He is probably in his mid-thirties, even though this ordeal has aged him. It seems this group might be a hard one to crack.

"Thanks for the intro, Rick," Ross replies sarcastically. Then she addresses the group, "I'm genuinely happy with the looks I'm getting. If y'all didn't stare at me with suspicion, then I'd probably be wondering how the hell y'all got this far. Honestly, you guys seem like a tight knit group, and I won't get in the way of that. Just give me a place to sleep and some food, and I'll help in any way I can. It isn't lost on me the things you had to consider by bringing me in. In short, I appreciate it. Now, if ya don't mind, Rick, I'd like to bury my partner," she declares frankly. Everyone just kind of looks at her openly.

Rick stares at her in surprise, and nods. As he starts to lead her outside, Daryl and Glenn come over to her.

"Uh…we'd be willing to help, if that's alright with ya." Daryl states in a southern drawl. Ross looks up in shock and nods. Wasn't expecting that.

Rick, Glenn, and Daryl lead her outside to _his_ body. It is covered up with a white sheet. She closes her eyes and breathes the tainted air that surrounds her. Opening her deep blue eyes, she walks determinedly to the body. She picks up his head and gestures for the others to help her carry him out to the grass.

The sweat and tears start to pour down her face after she is almost done digging a big enough space. Every shovel of dirt brings her closer to making peace. Rick is about to help her put him into the ground, never to be seen again, when the grieving woman puts her hand up to him. She then pulls down the sheet to look at his face. As much as Ross wants to see him smiling again, she feels better knowing he would never become one of them. Undoubtedly, he is in a better place than she is.

After they put the body in the grave and cover it with dirt, she stands there not knowing what to do. Duncan is dead. She knows she has to keep on living, but is it worth it?

Suddenly, she sees Hershel and the rest of the group come out to pay their respects. He reads a verse and says a prayer, making it feel like an actual funeral. As everyone begins to leave, she picks up two sticks, binds them into the shape of a cross, and sticks them into the ground. _Here lies Duncan. Loved by everyone who met him, he will be missed deeply, _she carves into the wood.

Rick gently takes her hands and cuffs them. His clear eyes search hers, as if gazing through her. She looks away, not knowing how to respond. He turns her chin towards him, so she is forced to look at him. "Don't let it consume you," he whispers softly. Ross just stares at him wondering what compelled him to comfort someone he doesn't know anything about. Shaking herself out of it, she turns away and begins the walk back to the prison.

"…If I'd never made it off the farm."

"You're exhausted, frightened."

"Yeah, that's true. My son can't stand me. And my husband, after what I put him through."

Ross tries to close her ears to the rest of the conversation. Eavesdropping is not how she should get to know these people. Ross is not sure what Lori did, but it seems her relationship with Rick is wearing thin. Then she realizes…Rick has his whole fucking family. Not only that, but he has a baby on the way. A flash of anger pulses through her body, making her shutter. Here is a man who hasn't lost anything, and he is still having problems with his family. If only he knew what it was like to lose everything. Once something like that happens, there is no coming back. No matter what kind of hatred Ross ever had against her family, she would give anything to have them back in her arms.

"Hey…um Daryl?!" she shouts, not sure who she should ask because she really doesn't feel like talking to Rick.

Daryl wanders over to her cell giving her an aggravated look, "Wha' do ya want?"

"So I hear y'all are going to look for a cafeteria and an armory. I want in," she declares feeling overly confident.

"You'd have to ask Rick." He replies and saunters off.

"RICK!" she bellows and starts hitting her cuffs against her cell door. "That'll get his attention," she mutters, smirking to herself.

Rick strides over to her jail cell and just stares at her with those piercing blue eyes, which is particularly unnerving. "Well?" he asks.

"I…uh…just wanted to um…go with y'all to search for the cafeteria," she mumbles looking down.

"Well if you mumble the whole time, I'm not sure I want ya coming on the run," he states tightly.

Flushed, Ross indignantly replies, "I'm not just gonna fucking sit here, cuffed, for the rest of my life. One of these days, you gotta let me out. I am not just some little girl who doesn't know what she's doing. I've been through hell, and come out of it a survivor. So if you'd be so kind. Take these damn cuffs off me. "

"You don't make the decisions. Don't forget that you just got here, so, Ross, you are sittin this one out," he answers, with enough power that it makes her shut up. Rick then strides out with Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, and Hershel. Why the hell is he bringing Hershel? Ross has no idea.

Deflated, she lies in her bed and stares at nothing for what seems like a few minutes. However, she suddenly hears, "Open the door! It's Hershel!"

Well that doesn't sound promising. She tries to get a good look out of her cell and sees the gruesome scene of Hershel on a table bleeding out without a leg.

"RICK GRIMES! Let me out right this instant. I am fucking trained in medicine for this shit!" Ross desperately screams.

"Let her out damnit," he whispers defeated.

Daryl hurries over to her cell and lets her out. She runs over to Hershel, seeing Carol trying frantically to staunch the blood. "Please let me help, Carol. I went to medical school for this," she urgently says to her. Carol moves over hesitantly.

After she moves, Ross goes into action checking his breathing and starting on the leg. She had watched her father do this kind of procedures many times, but she doesn't have any of the equipment that she needs. Vaguely she hears that he was bit, but she is only focused on saving him. "I need towels and a pillow for under his leg. Thank goodness y'all had the sense to use a tourniquet," Ross utters breathlessly. As she continues to stop the bleeding, Carl walks in with first aid. "You are a lifesaver, Carl!" she shouts happily, while Lori shoots her a look, but she is too busy to even acknowledge it. Ross wraps Hershel's wound up in a proper fashion. "We need to keep him warm in order to make sure he doesn't go into shock. It's done. The only thing we have left to do is wait," she mutters. Then she takes a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Suddenly, she hears voices outside the cell block.

"What was that?" Beth asks, frightened.

"Prisoners, survivors. It's alright, everybody stay put." Rick answers hurriedly.

"Well shit." Ross mumbles.

* * *

**Well there it is! I am sooooooo sorry this took me so long! I don't have a good enough excuse except that school was kicking my ass. Just so you know, not everything is going to be exactly the same as the show. Ross will be making a difference; she will not just be along for the ride. I know Rick kind of seems mean, and it's kind of harsh that Ross is angry because he still has his whole family. I wanted to be different in the sense that there isn't love at first sight. They will go through a lot before they realize their feelings (just a warning). The poll is still up, so right now Glenn and Beth are tied (lol two people voted). It will be up probably until next chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! It means the world to me! **

**P.S. Thank you so much to **_**Chaoscrew**_** and **_**sandrinhaferreira**_** for sticking with me! You guys rock! (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

* * *

Hershel is alive, but still in jeopardy. There are surviving prisoners here that no one knew about. Ross is still alone in a sense. Yet she feels renewed. Using everything she has learned throughout all those years in college and watching her father, she saved a life. Soon, she begins to feel an inner peace mounting inside her. And in that moment, she knows her dad would be proud of her.

They are still not sure if Hershel will make it, but for once she has faith that he will. It's a miracle in itself that he is breathing. The sounds of Rick, T-dog, and Daryl talking to the prisoners outside are keeping everyone on edge. Lori and Maggie look at her suspiciously, as if trying to figure her out. It was risky trying to help Hershel. If he dies, they will most likely hold her responsible, saying that she was sabotaging the group for her own personal gain. Hopefully they see the new girl did everything possible to save him.

After waiting for what feels like hours, Rick, T-dog, and Carl come in with cans and sacks of food. _Thank the Lord_. Rick then wanders into the cell and promptly gives the handcuffs to Glenn, stating, "Take my cuffs, put them on him. I'm not taking any chances."

The blue-eyed wonder steals a glance at Ross and pulls her to the side, touching her shoulder with a calloused hand, saying, "Thank you for saving him. I'm not gonna apologize for the way I treated you because nowadays you have to be cautious, but we will be forever grateful for what you did for Hershel, no matter what happens. You're beginning to earn that thing we talked about called trust." With a smile pulling at his lips, he takes away his hand and leaves to talk to Lori about God knows what. Trying not to think about the way his touch gave her a weird feeling, the frazzled girl goes back to checking Hershel's wound. Thankfully his breathing isn't as labored any more.

Lori wanders back in with a brooding look etched on her face, and Ross wonders what will become of the prisoners. Even though Lori and Rick are having problems, it seems as if Lori has more influence on him than she realizes. Rick lets the group know that he will be going with Daryl, T-dog, and the other prisoners to clear their block of the prison. He swiftly leaves, and Ross decides that she needs a moment to herself if she's going to be of any help. "I'm gonna go…um…outside to see Duncan, if that's alright with y'all," she states, unsure of herself.

"Yeah that's fine. Don't worry, Lori and I got this for a little while." Carol declares with a sympathetic look on her face.

Ross nods her thanks, and replies, "If anything should happen, just shout." Carol nods solemnly.

As she's walking out she hears Lori whisper to Carol, "Are you sure we should just let her out? What if she tries to run away? I'm not sure Rick would approve."

"I doubt she will. Plus even if she does leave, she doesn't stand much of a chance alone. I have a feeling Ross will be sticking around for a while." Carol says in a matter of fact tone.

Ross then begins the journey out to his grave. With each step away from the chaos, she quietly observes the stillness of the day. It is a place full of serenity in contrast to everything going on in the prison. She finally makes it to the grave, and she just sits down, looking at the cross she made to remember him.

* * *

_They are walking down the road with Carpus in silence, looking for a place to settle for the night. Duncan abruptly turns to her._

"_I was a History teacher, if you can believe it." He chuckles, "It all seems so stupid now, ya know? None of that schooling helps me out here. And I think about all the wars that were fought throughout the years, and this one just might be the one to take us all out. It's funny, the kids I taught that were the worst trouble, are the ones I miss the most. They always had a way of making my day more interesting. I guess I'll have to be content with Carpus over here." _

_Carpus just shakes his mane out as if to say, "You wish."_

_Duncan laughs, "Woah. Carpus is in a sassy mood today. But what about you, Ross? What don't I know? You're 27 years old, just graduated from med school, no family left, and my personal savior. How do I compete with that?" She feels a small smile pulling at her lips, but she quickly suppresses it. _

"_Well…there's not much else to say. Nothing before the outbreak really matters anyway, so why talk about it? None of it is important anymore. All that matters is how fast you can kill a walker," Ross snaps. _

_Duncan just walks over and grabs her hand gently. They have only been surviving together for about a month, yet he still asks her these questions all the time. He isn't as calloused as Ross is which she is glad for. _

"_Do you know why I ask you these questions, Ross? It's because I want to know you. No matter how long it takes. You were meant to find me, so I intend to figure you out. If you haven't noticed, the dead are walking around like it's normal. But it isn't. Ross, none of this is normal. Me liking you, even though I know hardly anything about you isn't normal. But it's real." He declares. She stands there stunned. Duncan then walks up to her, gently touches her cheek, and pulls her closer. "Just let me in, Ross." He whispers. _

_He smells like sweat and trees, and it's intoxicating. Ross finds herself leaning into him. Duncan gently pulls her the rest of the way, and then his chapped lips are crashing into hers. At first, she has no idea what is happening, but then he begins to deepen the kiss and she begins to respond. He tastes like the raspberries they ate a few hours ago, and it's pure bliss. They finally let go, resting their foreheads against each other, and she just stares into his perfect blue eyes. Both their breathing is heavy, yet she can't help but smile. Beaming at her, he pecks her on the cheek, grabs her hand, and starts walking again. And in that moment, Ross realizes that the thing she was missing is right here, and she was almost too blind to see how much Duncan is affecting her._

* * *

The tears are streaming down her face, but she quickly wipes them away. He wouldn't want her to be upset for the rest of this short life. She stands up, touches the cross, and begins the journey back to their cell block.

As she gets closer, she hears, "Do something! Somebody help! Somebody! Please, help!"

The alarmed girl starts running as fast as humanly possible, only to find Lori resuscitating Hershel. Suddenly he grabs her, and Ross immediately pulls Lori away. She gets a look at Hershel before he falls unconscious again, and realizes he hadn't turned. He was going to make it. In the corner of her eye she sees Carl pointing his gun at Hershel. Smart kid, but he shouldn't have to be. She looks at Lori, "You saved him, Lori. I'm glad you were able to think quickly on your feet. Thank goodness you were here. I definitely won't be leaving any time soon, but I think it's safe to say that Hershel will most certainly make it." She beams at the two sisters.

"It was nothing. Just doin' what was needed." Lori says looking down and breathing heavy.

Ross looks at her closely, "It wasn't nothing. You saved his life, and that isn't something to be taken lightly."

A few hours later, the rest of the group come in looking bloody and exhausted.

After Rick learned of what Lori did to save Hershel, he takes her outside to talk to her privately.

It brings Ross a sense of peace to see Hershel's family together again. They are so content to be in each other's arms. And for the first time in a long time, she lets herself miss Cleo, Zoe, and her father.

She walks outside of the cell, slides down the wall, and brings her knees to her chest. As she stares blankly at the other wall, Daryl and T-dog sit on either side of her.

"It's been a fucking long day. That's all I gotta say," Daryl sighs.

T-dog perks up and declares, "I hear that, man. This shit is makin' me feel old and tired all the time. Hey, Ross, thanks for savin' Hershel. Lord knows we needed a miracle." Ross sits there, speechless, while Daryl grunts in what she thinks is agreement. "I mean if you hadn't been there for him, he mighta died. I'm not sure we could have taken that kind of hit to the heart of our group," T-dog figures.

"It's really no big deal. Lori is the real reason he's alive," she states bluntly and steals a glance at T-dog, who just shakes his head.

"She may have saved him in a dire moment, but you saved him for the long run. Don't sell yourself short," T-dog says with a smile.

"Thanks for the encouragement guys." She chuckles, "I'm gonna go see if I can find some new clothes. These are just too bloody for my taste."

She walks over to Carol, who just sits quietly right outside the cell. "Hey, I was wondering, if you didn't mind, if I could use some clothing. All this blood just isn't gonna come out this time. I mean this shirt used to be white, and now it's a permanent brownish color," she asks in as friendly a tone as she can manage.

"No big deal, Ross! I'll go ask Maggi—" Carol starts before she cut her off.

"No, no, no. She is already dealing with enough…is there any way I could try yours?" Ross asks cautiously.

Carol just looks at her in surprise, but responds nonetheless, "Well…I mean they aren't that stylish and I'm probably a different size than you. Actually I have some left over clothes owned by a group member we lost. She was about your size, so I'll just get you those."

She comes out of her cell with a pair of green cargo pants, a country, white button down shirt, and finally a black tank top. She thanks Carol immensely, and goes to her cell to change.

Turns out Ross is almost the same size, except her boobs are a little bit smaller. No surprise there. Whoever she was, she must have been pretty busty, so Ross doesn't button it up, letting it hang loose. She looks in the mirror at herself, and finds a woman who has a little bit more life in her. Then she French braids her hair, and she finally feels ready for whatever comes at her. New clothes can do that to a girl.

She walks out of her cell and runs straight into Rick. He chuckles, "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was goin. You alright?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Ross states, feeling utterly embarrassed.

He stares at her for a bit, which only makes her blush, and says, "If my memory serves me right, those are not your clothes."

"Um…no. I didn't catch her name, but she used to be in your group before she was lost. At least that's what Carol said. I just needed some clothes that weren't completely covered in blood," she declares, nervous that he wouldn't approve of her wearing the lost member's clothes.

"I always assumed she was dead. But sometimes I wonder…" Rick stares blankly at her, lost in thought. "Her name was Andrea…God we've lost so many." He mutters to her.

Ross reaches out to touch his shoulder doing her best to comfort him. No one said being a leader in a zombie apocalypse was easy. "We've all lost someone. Guess you didn't look at the job description of being a leader when you signed up," she states, laughing a little. Rick begins to smile, and that's when she knows it'd be worth it to make him smile any day of the week.

"You're right. I didn't read the description," He snickers. "So, if ya don't mind me askin, who was Duncan to you?" Rick asks, changing the subject drastically.

"It's fine. And I guess we were boyfriend and girlfriend, if that's what you call it nowadays. All I can say is we were in love, and that's all that mattered," she states with the least amount emotion possible. Suddenly, Carl walks outside of his cell.

"Hey dad, are you coming to bed or—hi, Ross! Thanks for pulling mom back away from Hershel. I wasn't sure if he was a walker or not. But dad are you gonna come to bed?" Carl asks, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes." Rick says hurriedly, and Carl meanders back to his cell. "You pulled Lori away from Hershel today?" He asks in a surprised tone.

The newest member of the group embarrassingly mumbles, "Well yeah, I mean, I had to make sure he wasn't trying to bite her face off."

"Thank you. I'm starting to be glad that you stumbled your way into the prison. Goodnight, Ross." He gently states, touching her arm, and then he walks back to his cell.

Ross wanders back into her cell and lies on her bed with the feeling of his hand on her arm still lingering.

**Guys. I know I suck. And I definitely don't have any excuse except this chapter was really hard to write. Thank you so much to the new readers and the old ones. You guys rock. And I have decided to keep the poll up until it isn't a tie anymore. So keep voting if it floats your boat(:**

**P.S. A special thanks to **_**Chaoscrew, nickyriver, gwalker, **_**and **_**CherryMountain. **_**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**P.P.S. If anyone has any ideas for the story or constructive criticism, don't be afraid to message me or review. I will respond asap. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

* * *

She lies there tossing and turning, waiting for darkness to overtake her. It never does. There has got to be a rule about going outside at night with the walkers and all. Well fuck it. The insomniac is not going to get sleep any time soon.

Walking around this place at night is truly eerie. But the feeling of being free from her handcuffs is enough to overpower the uncanny feeling she gets from this prison. The closer she gets to the outside, the louder the moans become. She brings her machete and Kimber that she stole from inside the cell where Rick put all her shit.

Ross is finally able to smell the sweet scent of walking corpses. Outside at this time of night, one would think they'd shut the fuck up. But no. They're still kickin.

"Goin somewhere?" She hears someone call out.

Doing a three-sixty, the frightened girl whispers, "Who's there?!"

Someone grabs her shoulders and spins her around. Ross quickly pulls her machete up to the attacker's neck, ready to kill.

"Well I guess you found your weapons." Rick says, with his hands up in surrender.

Breathing heavy and heart racing, she lowers her machete. "What the hell Rick! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I just had to make sure I talked to you before you left. You can stay, Ross. Really. You've proved your worth," he says suddenly.

"I wasn't leaving, Rick. I wouldn't leave this kind of sanctuary for the world. I just couldn't find it in me to sleep," she tells him tiredly.

Clear blue eyes stare at her to confirm it. When she nods, he sighs in relief. "Thank God. I need you."

Ross just stares at him in shock. Realizing she is probably a little creeped out, he quickly restates, "My wife, Lori, needs you. I was counting on Hershel to help with the baby, but now that he's incapacitated…I need you. She will probably need a C-section because that's how Carl's went. Seeing as you're a doctor…please stay."

She doesn't know why her heart begins to sink, but she motions for Rick to sit with her. "Rick. I know you're worrying and grasping at straws, but you don't even know me. I mean you don't even know if I'm actually a doctor. If I were you, I would trust Carol with Lori over me."

"Kind of sounds like you don't think I should trust you, Ross." He states looking at her evenly.

"I just think you should be more careful in who you trust." Ross says matter-of-factly.

"Okay then. Are you a doctor?"

"Just graduated med school when all this shit went down. However, I'm more experienced than most, as my dad was a surgeon and let me look in."

"Mind me askin how old you are?"

"Twenty-seven if my sister's calendar was right," she mutters, looking down.

Her eyes are glossy when he asks, "I'm guessing these losses are the reasons you're awake right now." Ross nods. "Well I can't say those feelins are gonna go away, but it won't be all the time."

"So what did you do before everything went down?" She asks, doing her best to change the subject.

"Sheriff's deputy."

"Man of the law. Definitely explains a lot," she snickers.

He looks at her incredulously, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Carl's hat and just your personality in general is lacking," the childlike woman smirks mischievously.

"I bet you were one of those ladies that got five speeding tickets and hated cops ever since."

"Yeah, I guess you could infer that. But it might have been eight tickets, not five. Let's just say I like to go fast," she replies, winking at him.

He just laughs, and it's the best he's looked since she met him. The louder they get, the more agitated the lurkers get. Rick frowns, "Hm. Looks like it's time to go inside; plus, I have to go get Daryl to come keep watch." She nods, and starts to get up. He grabs her hand with his calloused one, and then seems to think better of it. Yet he then touches her arm, and says, "I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character, being a cop and all. And as far as I can figure, you're worth trusting."

She looks up into his piercing blue eyes, and gives him a crooked smile. "And me being a doctor and all, I figure I feel the same way."

His eyes light up, as they turn back to wander back to the prison.

* * *

"Pssttt…hey Ross! Pssttt!"

Jolting awake, the half-awaken girl sees the culprit who woke her from her first peaceful sleep in a long time. Glenn. What the fuck is he doing waking her up this early in the morning. "What, Glenn? And there better be a damn good reason you woke me up," she grumbles.

Nervously he mutters, "Well…um—"

"Spit it out please."

"Okay. So here it is. Maggie and I really need to get out and um…explore the prison. Beth fell asleep trying to make pants for Hershel all night. So we were wondering if you could watch him while we explore, as you are the closest thing we have to a doctor." He says rather fast.

Finally he looks up at her with those Asian puppy dog eyes. Damn him. "I guess it's alright with me. But I don't think Hershel will want a babysitter," she states, looking at him squarely.

Glenn forms a huge grin and shouts hurriedly, "Thanks so much, Ross! I owe you one."

As he runs out to get Maggie, Ross calls out to them, "Have fun fucking…excuse me, exploring!"

She cannot control her laughter as she wanders to Hershel's cell. The cell block is almost silent though, as the only sound is Hershel's steady breathing. And thank goodness it's steady. She knows she hasn't known these people for very long, but she finds herself already starting to care about what happens to them. They weren't exactly welcoming in the beginning. However, she has come to respect them.

After checking his pulse, Ross sits there watching him breath for about an hour. If anyone saw her, she'd look pretty sketchy. It is pleasantly peaceful though, and she might have to thank Glenn for it. The morning is surprisingly tranquil even in a jail cell.

As the sun is finally rising, Beth comes in rubbing her eyes. "Good morning, Ross. Did Glenn make you take care of Daddy? You could have woken me up, ya know."

"Yeah I know, but it's really no big deal. It is my job to look after the patient after all," Ross says, smiling good naturedly. "Plus Maggie and Glenn are…exploring the prison."

"Looks like we have a new doctor in the group." Ross spins around only to see Hershel is awake watching her and Beth talk. Hershel motions for her to come over. He smiles as he grabs her hand, "Thank you for helping me stay a bit longer with my girls. I know God is smiling on you."

"I'm sure it's the first time in a while. And it's what I'm supposed to do, heal people. Of course, you've gotta give Rick and Lori most of the credit anyways."

"I knew they would help me, but I didn't know you. Ross, you helped someone you had no reason to help. Don't underrate what you did for me. Let me say thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Hershel," the newest doctor smiles at him genuinely.

"Okay. Now that we have that settled, help me get up. I wanna get back on my foot." He states evenly, with a determined smile.

She looks at him in surprise, "Woah, woah, woah. You are recovering, not walking around."

"Thank you for your suggestion kind doctor. But I am also a physician, and I don't have to listen to you."

"You crazy old man," Ross mutters to herself. "Okay, fine. We'll do it your way. Beth, I need pain meds, a new bandage, crutches, and the pants you so graciously tailored." She giggles at her father's antics, and goes to get what Ross asked for.

When she comes back carrying everything, Lori and Carl are with her. Ross clean and wrap Hershel's stump with a fresh new bandage, and finally get him to take the meds. They fit him into his new pants, and the crutches are miraculously the perfect height.

As he gets up right on the bed, Lori whispers caringly, "Just take your time."

"Daddy, don't push yourself." Beth says in concern, when he starts to get a hold of the crutches.

"I completely agree with both of them, you don't have to be ready to do this yet," Ross tells him matter-of-factly.

Gruffly Hershel states, while trying to stand, "What else am I going to do? Can't stand looking at the bottom of that bunk any longer."

"I also agree with that statement. Might as well practice now," she replies with a smile.

After some wobbling, he says, "You know, I think I'm pretty steady." He hops a few steps.

Lori, concerned as always, tells him, "That's a good start. Wanna take a rest?"

"Rest? Let's go for a little stroll." He replies, with steadfast determination.

As Beth and Carl help him out to the prison court, Ross stays back a little with Lori.

"So how's everything going so far with the pregnancy? Has the little booger been kicking much? Anything I should know about?" she asks, as medically as possible.

"That was fast," she chuckles. "Didn't know I was going to my OB-GYN for an appointment. And yes, the little booger, as you so called it, has been kicking most all the time."

"Obviously I didn't specialize in delivering babies, but I'll help in any way I can. It's important to have this baby safely, and also the group needs to know we can still have miracles in this new world. And it is a miracle, don't ever think different," Ross states.

"Thank you, Ross. That means a lot, and if you want to help or do the whole thing, I'm up for the safest route for the baby," she says genuinely.

"Alright sounds good. And lastly, can I feel?" Ross asks excitedly, as she hadn't felt a pregnant lady in so long.

Lori just laughs and gestures that she can. As the would be doctor puts her hand on Lori's stomach, she feels a little kick. It's miraculous in every way. Even after all this destruction, there is still good.

They catch up to Beth, Hershel, and Carl to help Hershel down the stairs outside.

"Ready to race Hershel?" Carl jokes.

"Give me another day, I'll take you on." Hershel states evenly, with a smirk.

Chuckling, Ross utters, "Now that is something I'd love to witness."

Everyone is watching Hershel on his feet again, and Ross is beaming at her hard work finally paying off. As they finally stand outside on the court, she sees Rick look at Lori lovingly. Maybe they will work things out.

She has discovered a new found duty to these people, to heal and protect them. Indifference is not an option, and neither is caring too much. The balance has to be formed soon, or it will break her just like Cleo and Duncan did.

Suddenly Carl yells, "Walkers!"

Ross whips around only to see dozens of walkers walking right towards them. They would be the ones who don't fucking notice that shit.

"Get out of there! GO! Lori!" Rick screams from across the fences and prison yard.

It's complete chaos. Everyone is running towards them and the walkers. She pulls out her machete and start hacking as much as possible. But by herself she would get overrun, so she runs over to Beth and Hershel to help them. Beth and Ross both assist Hershel back up the stairs and quickly close the door so they can't get in. Her breathing is labored, as she sees Rick, Glenn, and Daryl finally getting to them.

"What the hell happened?!" Rick shouts at them, looking at her.

"The gate was opened!" Beth shrieks.

"Where's Lori, Carl, Maggie, everyone else?!"

Hershel shouts, "Maggie led Lori and Carl back inside!"

"Stay put!" Rick commands. Oh fuck no.

Ross yells at him, "Hell no! Let me help you!"

"No Ross! We need you alive!" He shouts at her.

"Get off your fucking high horse and let me fight."

"I'm asking you to stay here for Lori's sake."

"If it's for Lori's sake, then I need to be with you every step of the way to find her! Let me do this, Rick!"

"Come on out then," he mutters defeated.

Just then, blaring alarms start to go off. "What the fuck is going on?!" Ross shouts, looking up at the sky.

* * *

**Well there it is. It has been forever since I last updated, and I sincerely apologize! My computer broke during the summer, and when I finally got a new one I didn't think about it. I was starting school and felt too busy. I couldn't get this chapter to be what I really wanted it to be, but I wanted to post it instead of rewriting it again. Thank you to all my new reviewers, favorites, and follows. That means the world.**

**P.S. A special thanks to **_**Chaoscrew**_**, **_**nickyriver**_**, and **_**gwalker**_**! Especially Chaoscrew who has stuck with this since the beginning.**

**P.P.S. In response to **_**Guest**_**: Hey, thanks for the constructive criticism, I really appreciated it. The horse thing is soooo embarrassing haha thank you for pointing that out. And if I would love to know how you think I can make Rick more in character. Thanks again.**

**P.P.P.S. I love it when people point out my mistakes, so please help a sista out and give me advice.**

**THANKS I LOVE ALL MY READERS AND EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ WHO SHOULD(:**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

* * *

_Previously: _

"_I'm asking you to stay here for Lori's sake."_

"_If it's for Lori's sake, then I need to be with you every step of the way to find her! Let me do this, Rick!"_

"_Come on out then." He mutters, defeated._

_Just then, blaring alarms start to go off. "What the fuck is going on?!" Ross shouts looking at the sky._

* * *

"What's that?" Glenn yelled over the deafening alarm.

"You've gotta be kiddin me!" Daryl roared.

As if anything else could go wrong, walkers are coming from the woods in hoards, following the noise to the group's safe haven. It's a fucking disaster. Swinging and shooting their way through, they stop short at the gate.

"Those chains didn't break on their own. Someone took an ax or cutters to 'em." Glenn furiously states.

Oscar and Axel, the prisoners, then choose the absolute worst time to walk towards everyone.

"You think they did it?" Glenn asks, looking to Rick.

Rick just glares at them and says, "Who else?"

He then stalks towards them with a look ready to kill on his face. Oscar and Axel back up a few steps awaiting his wrath. "How the hell can this be happening?!"

Oscar answers nervously at first, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! It has to be the backup generators."

"Well how do you turn those on?"

"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hatch shut them all off when the prison was overrun!"

"Can someone open up the main gates electronically, with full power?"

"Well, I only went in there a few days, I… I guess it might be possible."

"Come with us!" Rick yells and drags Oscar with the group.

This is all going to shit. Ross runs over to Hershel and Beth. "Stay here and stay safe."

They both nod, and she catches up with the rest of them. They run as fast as they can to the cell block calling for Lori, Carl, and Maggie as they go. The worried girl looks to Glenn and anxiously says, "I'm worried about Lori. The stress this must be causing so late in her pregnancy is not a good sign."

Glenn widens his eyes, but shows no sign of fear, "We can't do anything about that right now. Lori is in good hands with Maggie and Carl. They'll do anything to protect her. Focus on the task at hand, Ross. We don't even know if anything's happened to them; just try not to worry too much yet." He puts his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and she nods in recognition. But it doesn't quell the bad feeling she has.

When they get to the cell block, they realize Lori, Maggie, and Carl had come through. The walkers were trapped behind the cell gate by apparently their doing.

"Somebody is playing games! We'll split up and look for the others. Whoever gets to the generators first, shut 'em down!" Rick shouts with authority. He drags her with him, "C'mon Ross. You're coming with me and Daryl."

"Fine." She states, annoyed.

"Let's go!" Daryl beckons them onward.

Pushing forward, she wipes the sweat off her forehead. More walkers are stalking toward them. The fear is creeping up into her mind, and she starts to panic. Why did she even think for one second she could handle this? That's when she hears the crunch of blade crushing skull. Ross turns her head to see a walker only a foot away from her sink to the ground. The concerned cerulean eyes of Rick Grimes search hers before turning away to stab more walkers.

That's twice he saved her life, and she's not gonna let it go to waste.

With new vigor, the girl warrior fights through, and they make it to the generators. However, they are not without walkers. They are still on their tail when Daryl and Ross close the door behind them.

Oscar tries to help them with the door, but Ross yells, "Go help Rick! We got this!"

Suddenly, Andrew, the prisoner they all believed was dead is swinging an ax at Rick. He dodges, but Daryl and her have other things to worry about. Pushing with all their might against the door is not enough though. They let it open and kill four walkers, and close it again. Repeating this method, they are able to kill them all. Turning around, she sees Oscar pointing a gun at Rick. She glances at Daryl, and he puts his finger up to his mouth. He pulls out his knife, and they both creep towards Oscar.

"Shoot him! We can take back this prison. What you waiting for, do it! It's our house, shoot him!" Andrew roars at Oscar, before the shot is taken.

Her heart drops.

Unexpectedly, Andrew is the one to collapse to the ground with a bullet hole in his head.

Daryl and Ross are still stalking towards Oscar, when he gives the gun to Rick.

Rick nods at him, and goes to shut down the alarm. She places her hand on Oscar's arm, and he jumps coming out of his trance. "Thank you. We'll always be in your debt." He glances down at her, and nods in recognition.

The group all come out of the generator room into the corridor to find Glenn and Axel. Glenn looks at her, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I will be. Did you find anyone?" She asks hopefully.

"No." He says, crestfallen.

She turns away, and they wander the passages, finding their way out. She hears Rick shoot two walkers. When everyone stops at a corner, she pushes her way through to see what is lying on the ground. A gasp escapes her mouth.

The body of T-Dog is lying on the floor almost unrecognizable. His full ribcage is showing from where the walking corpses have picked over his flesh. Everyone is speechless.

Daryl picks up what she remembers to be Carol's head scarf.

"No." Ross breathes.

"We'll come back, but we need to find the rest the group." Rick states icily. But she hears the break in his voice that can only mean he cannot lose any more.

Coming out of the prison, the light is blinding. A breath she didn't know she was holding releases when she sees Hershel and Beth safe.

"Hershel!" Rick calls.

Hershel looks to Rick, and restlessly asks, "You didn't find them?"

Glenn answers for the rest of the group, "We thought maybe they came out here."

"What about T, Carol?"

Ross shakes her head looking down, and Daryl responds almost mechanically, "They didn't make it."

Rick, always the determined one, pronounces, "That doesn't mean the others didn't. We're going back! Daryl, Ross, and Glenn, you come with me—"

The cries of an infant stop him short.

They all turn around to see a bloody Carl and Maggie holding an infant come out of the prison.

Lori is missing, and Ross knows the worst has happened.

Maggie is crying, and Rick finally understands. He drops all his weapons, moving forward, and whispers brokenly, "Where is…where is she?"

He tries to walk back into the prison, when Maggie stops him with a bloody hand. "No, Rick, don't!" She yells at him between sobs.

Rick Grimes starts to cry, and as if just realizing Carl is there, he looks at him. "Oh no…No! No!"

He breaks down and collapses to the ground weeping.

Glenn goes to comfort a sobbing Maggie, and the newest member of the group feels a tear trail down her cheek. Carl is stoic, and she catches sight of his bloody hands and realizes he must have watched everything. This will break him.

After about an hour, Rick stops, and they all come out of our trance.

Ross walks towards him. His usually determined blue eyes are vacant and stare at nothing. She waves her hand in front of his face and as soothingly as possible says, "Rick, you with me? C'mon Rick, two people need you right now." Nothing. She receives nothing.

Getting up off her knees, she heads towards Hershel who is asking for the baby. Carl brings her over to him. "Good news is she looks healthy. Ross can further check up on her, but she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive." Ross nods in agreement.

"No. No way. Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run." Daryl states unwaveringly.

Glenn steps up, "I'll back you up."

"I'll go too." Maggie says.

Daryl pulls Ross and Beth aside, "Beth. Kid just lost his mom. His dad ain't doing so hot."

"I'll look out for him." She says firmly, walking towards Carl.

Daryl looks to Ross, "I need you to keep this baby alive. She ain't just some kid. She is the only hope we got."

"I'll do my best."

She then hears Rick pick up his ax. Turning around, she sees him rush back into the prison. "Rick, you can't!" She starts after him. Daryl grabs her shoulder pulling her back.

"He can handle himself. You have a baby to worry about." Daryl states authoritatively. She nods. "Glenn, Maggie, vámonos! Come on, we're gonna lose the light!" Both Glenn and Maggie follow him to the car to figure out where they're gonna find formula.

The newly designated doctor walks towards Carl, "Wanna let me do a little checkup?"

He is silent for a time, but cautiously hands the infant to her. "Just be careful."

"Of course." She says looking down at him in admiration. He isn't broken. Far from it, he is taking it in stride. He never ceases to amaze her. But he still needs his father, and his father needs him just as much.

Ross looks into the baby's bright blue eyes and immediately falls in love. Daryl was right. She represents their hope now.

Checking her heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflex response, and color, Ross realizes she is an all in all healthy little girl. She smiles at Carl, "She's as healthy as a horse." He gives her a small smile in return.

"Can I see her again?"

"Yes. Make sure you keep her warm. She needs a lot of love right now. And I think you're the best one to give it." Handing her back to Carl, she twists around to see Glenn returning and Maggie and Daryl leaving on his motorcycle.

"What happened? I thought you were going too." She says looking at him curiously.

"The daycare where there is formula is blocked, and Daryl can only take one person on his bike."

"Makes sense. What are you gonna do now?"

"Dig." Glenn robotically says in response. She nods knowingly.

She heads back into the prison with Hershel, Beth, Carl, and the baby. Beth begins to build a makeshift crib, and Carl does his best to get baby to stop crying. Hershel looks around for blankets, and Ross sits next to Carl watching their little bundle of hope carefully.

"Make sure you wrap the blanket tightly. It makes them feel safe." She tells Carl. He nods, and wraps it tighter. She stops crying, and Carl smiles up at Ross.

"Glad we have you here, Ross." He says to her. She stares at him with a goofy smile on her face.

"Wouldn't rather be anywhere else, Carl."

After a couple of hours, Hershel goes to check up on Glenn.

When they both come back, Ross walks up to Glenn.

"I'm going to check up on Rick." He states determinedly.

"Well then I'm going with you." She expresses firmly.

"You know I can't let you do that. You're needed here with Carl and the baby."

"I need to do this. I can't help but feel like this is my fault. None of this started happening until I got here. Glenn, I should have been there with Lori. Maybe I could have delivered the baby without her dying. Maybe I could have done more. I should have been there. That's the only thing Rick asked of me. He just needed help delivering his child. And I wasn't even there! My job is to save people, and I wasn't even there to do it!" She yells hysterically with tears streaming down her face.

"Ross, you know there was nothing any of us could do. You have to know that. No matter what we do, these things happen." He says with both hands on her shoulders trying to calm her down. "You can come with me if it will help." She nods gratefully and grabs her weapons, following him into the heart of the prison.

All she sees is bodies littering the halls. Rick must have gone on a rampage. Blood and guts cover the walls, until they get to the end of a hallway.

He stands with his body facing the wall. An ax against it, and covered in blood.

Cautiously, as if approaching a wounded animal, they walk towards him. Glenn is the one to break the silence, "Rick? Everybody's worried about you. You shouldn't be in here. Come on out. Rick." The two fast friends both get closer, "You don't have to do this all by yourself. Okay? Our cell block is cleared. We'll just close off all the doors again. Rick, why don't you just come with me? Okay? Rick?" He touches Ricks shoulder, and immediately Rick pins him against the wall with a feral look in his eyes.

"Rick!" Ross shouts. Glenn raises his hand at her. They stand in that position for a while, when Rick finally lets go and shoves Glenn into her, making them fall over. They scramble to stand up looking at Rick. Then it's as if he just notices her. He stares at Ross for what feels like hours. "Rick? Come see you're little girl." She states pleadingly. Rick cocks his head to the side staring and turns to walk off deeper into the prison.

"Come on, Ross. We can't help him right now." Glenn grabs her, and they head back to the cell block.

She can't help but think of her father when her mother died. He wouldn't look at her. Her eyes start to water, and she pushes the memories away. She has a job to do. She has to protect the only hope they have.

Glenn and Ross walk back into the room with Hershel, Beth, Carl, and the group's little girl. Just then Daryl and Maggie wander inside with formula to spare.

"How's she doing?" Daryl asks while Carl hands him a crying baby. "Shhh." He holds her and she finally stops crying.

Ross smiles, "Who knew hardass Daryl could stop a baby from crying."

Daryl looks at her and chuckles, "She got a name yet?" He asks looking at Carl.

"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sofia. Then there's Carol, too. And..." He sighs, "Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or... Lori. I don't know."

Ross puts her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure any name you pick will be perfect."

He looks up at her and gives her a half-hearted smile.

Daryl gets a bottle from Beth and feeds the baby, "You like that? Huh? Little ass-kicker. Right? That's a good name, right? Little ass-kicker." He rocks her and everyone smiles, "You like that, huh? You like that, sweetheart? Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh?"

Now if only Rick were here to enjoy his little ass-kicker.

Meanwhile…

After Rick had brutally killed the walker that had eaten Lori's body, he sits there staring blankly at the wall.

Riiiinnnggg

Riiiinnnggg

Riiiinnnggg

He scrambles towards the sound, debating if he imagined it or not. Rick finds a telephone, and hesitantly picks it up.

"Hello?"

* * *

**There it is guys! I'm so sorry it took me forever to update. I've been busy this year college touring and such. But of course it is no excuse. The poll is now closed, and the winner is Glenn! As you guys might notice he had a bigger part this chapter. He will most definitely be her closest ally, especially now that Rick is in a bit of craziness. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter, grammar mistakes, and critiques! Reviews are always greatly appreciated!**

**A huge thanks to: **

**My newest followers: **_**Dark Conspiracy**_**, **_**Emma Kellog**_**, **_**Evan Akira-kun**_**, **_**Priestess Luna**_**, **_**Reinstar Queen of the void, TrinityStarFire, Valaria Alari, Ritsikas, dog88, lunasky99, mofee, **_**and **_**speedy964**_

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**My newest reviews: **_**nickyriver**_**, **_**gwalker**_**, **_**shika93**_**, and **_**Guest**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

* * *

_Previously:_

_After Rick had brutally killed the walker that had eaten Lori's body, he sits there staring blankly at the wall._

_Riiiinnnggg_

_Riiiinnnggg_

_Riiiinnnggg_

_He scrambles towards the sound, debating if he imagined it or not. Rick finds a telephone and hesitantly picks it up._

"_Hello?"_

* * *

The sound of spoons scraping bowls and the occasional murmur from little ass-kicker pays tribute to the silence of not knowing what to say. The group is just waiting for Rick to finally make his way back. Ross stands in the corner looking down at her bowl of oatmeal just pushing the gooey mush around. After what she saw with Glenn, the look in Rick's eyes, she doesn't know what to think about his state of mind. Thank God Beth has been such a big help with—

She jerks her head up at the sound of the door opening. Rick meanders in, all the blood cleaned from his face, yet he doesn't look anyone in the eyes.

"Everybody okay?" he says to all of them.

_No and neither are you_.

They all just stare at him stunned, but then Maggie answers for the group, "Yeah, we are."

She sees Oscar nod his head in agreement.

"What about you?" Hershel asks, concerned as always.

Rick glances at Carl, "Cleared out the boiler block."

"How many were there?" She hears Daryl's gruff voice question.

"I don't know. A dozen, two dozen," he pauses, "I have to get back."

Ross' eyes darken. He can't just leave them right now.

He turns his back to the group and pats Carl's shoulder, "I just wanted to check on Carl."

Carl drops his head, a look of disappointment written on his face. Looks like Ross is not the only one who noticed that Rick hasn't even looked at or spoken of the little bundle in Beth's arms.

Glenn quickly stands up, "Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies. You don't have to."

"No I do," Rick asserts turning around. He quickly walks towards Daryl, "Everyone have a gun and a knife?"

"Yeah. But we're running low on ammo," Daryl answers him.

"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon," Glenn steps up. "Found a phone book with some places we can hit, looked for bullets and formula."

Ross walks over to them cautiously knowing she needs to get out of the prison or she'll explode. "I'm going with Glenn and Maggie too. There's a pharmacy I want to hit for…her."

She glances at Glenn and he nods at her, confirming it's alright to go with him.

Empty blue eyes focus on her. But he turns back to Daryl. She slowly backs away, concerned that he didn't fight her on it.

"We cleared out the generator room. Axel's there trying to fix it in case of emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels as well." Daryl says to Rick.

"Good. Good." Rick states as he swiftly walks out of the room.

Hershel calls to him, "Rick!"

And he's gone.

Silence takes over the group again.

Glenn walks over to the tired girl's corner of solitude. "It's fine if you come, but do you just want to tell me what she needs?"

"Glenn, I feel like I'm in a damn prison. Oh wait. I am. I need this right now. Okay?" She sees him hesitate. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna get in the way of you and Maggie doing whatever y'all do when you go on runs," she reminds him chuckling.

He smirks slightly with a glint in his eyes.

"God you're gross. I'll let y'all 'explore' as much as you want," she says snickering. "Now leave me alone in my corner."

"Okay, Ross. Be ready in an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be ready when I'm ready."

He gives her a pointed look and turns to walk away.

It's like Glenn understood her the day she met him. He keeps her head on straight and has helped her to let go. And she'll never be able to repay him that debt. She guesses this is what having a brother feels like. So much less complicated than a sister.

As she walks to her cell to gear up for the run, she hears footsteps following her. Ross turns around to find Daryl.

"Hey," she says.

"Are you sure you should be leaving when lil ass-kicker was just born?" he questions with a look of concern.

"That's a big part of the reason I'm leaving, Daryl. She needs vitamins and formula, and as much as I can get her."

"But it's not the only reason."

"You're right. It's not. I just need to get outside in the open area to clear my head. You don't understand, I feel responsible for this right now."

"Shit happens. The sooner ya learn that, the better."

"I know, I know. It's just hard, and being confined doesn't help at all."

"I'll let you go, but make damn sure you come back with a shit ton of formula."

"Will do, sergeant," Ross says with a salute and a crooked smile. He scoffs in annoyance, but she sees a smile pull at his lips before he turns away to talk with Carl.

She smiles to herself. Carl really looks up to him, and he will probably need him as Rick seems to be dazed at the moment.

As she puts her Kimber in the back of her pants, she sees Hershel crutching his way towards the heart of the prison.

"Hey, Hershel!" she calls out to him.

He turns around and looks at her curiously, "Yes, Ross?"

"Are you going to talk to Rick?"

"I'm going to try."

"Oh…that's good. You should make sure…" Ross pauses, thinking of the right thing to say. "Make sure he knows we're all still here."

"I will do my best. Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asks, amused at her look of confusion. "Didn't I hear something about going on a run?"

"Shit, Glenn is going to kill me! It's almost been an hour. Just so you know, if Rick's going to listen to anyone, it would be you. See ya later, Hershel," she states. He provides her with a knowing look, and gives her a wave.

She runs to the courtyard to find Maggie and Glenn waiting for her by the car.

"Well hurry up and get in the car, guys. We don't have all day," she exclaims with a sly smile.

They both shake their heads in exasperation, but Ross sees Glenn give her a wink.

She moves to sit in the backseat of the car. They both jump in, and they're off to go get supplies.

* * *

As they pull up to the shopping center, she looks for the pharmacy and sees it has been raided almost empty.

"Clear outside," Maggie declares.

Glenn looks around one last time, "All right, let's take a look."

Ross follows them to the little grocery store, when she hears them talking and then kiss. Of course not wanting to be a bother, she opens up the door to the store. A few birds come out suddenly, and it's enough to keep them from kissing anymore. Ross snickers to herself, finding herself quite funny.

"Did that on purpose didn't you?" Glenn asks with a laugh. She just gives him a look of pure innocence. He shakes his head, and they all head inside.

"Glenn, get that duck," she hears Maggie tell Glenn.

"What?" he asks not sure what he had just heard.

"Get that duck."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. A kid growing up in a prison could use some toys."

"Just get the damn duck, Glenn. Lil ass-kicker will love it of course," Ross tells him.

He picks up the stuffed animal finally, and they split up to look for more supplies. Ross heads over to the pharmacy to find some antibiotics and vitamins for the group and for the baby.

She walks in only to find no sign of walkers anywhere. Feeling lucky, she also finds the antibiotics and vitamins she wanted.

As she makes her way outside, she hears a gruff voice ask, "And where is it y'all good people are calling home?"

She then sees Glenn and Maggie holding their guns up against a tall man with one hand and a makeshift knife substituting for the right hand. Ross immediately pulls out her gun, and starts stalking towards them.

"Merle?!" Glenn calls out. Apparently he knows the guy, but he still hasn't put his gun down, so Ross keeps walking towards them ever so slowly.

"Wow!" Merle exclaims. He puts his gun down and moves forward.

"Hey, back the hell up!" Maggie shouts.

He backs up a step, "Okay, okay, honey."

"Jesus, you made it," Glenn says.

Merle nods, "Can you tell me, is my brother alive? – Huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, you take me to him, and I'll call it even on everything that happened up there in Atlanta. No hard feelings," Merle states. Glenn doesn't answer but stares at the makeshift knife. "Huh? You like that? Yeah. Well, I found myself a medical supply warehouse. Fixed it up myself. Well, pretty cool, huh?" he says, sounding proud of his accomplishment.

"We'll tell Daryl you're here, and he'll come out to meet you," Glenn says cautiously.

As Ross gets closer, she sees that Glenn sees her. Sweat dripping down her brow, she aims her Kimber at Merle. She sees the ever so slightest of nods from Glenn to go ahead and get Merle.

"Not so fast, honey." Merle states, as he does a one-eighty. There is a look of sheer surprise on her face when she feels a sharp pain near her collar bone making her collapse to the ground. She then realizes he shot her. What the actual fuck.

"Ross!" Glenn shouts.

She hears glass shattering, and then through blurry vision she sees Merle holding Maggie at gunpoint. Glenn eventually gives up his gun, and Merle tells Glenn to get in the driver's seat.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, pretty thing," he says as he comes over to where she's laying down in a pool of her own blood.

"Shut the fuck up, prick," Ross grunts out.

"Pretty thing's got a mouth on her!" Merle exclaims with a wicked grin. He then moves to pick her up, and walks over to the car stuffing her in the backseat. She groans in pain, and he says, "Now let's go for a little drive."

"We're not going back to our camp!" Glenn yells.

"No, we're going somewhere else," Merle smirks.

As they speed off, she tries to apply pressure to her shoulder. It seems to be a through and through, so Ross is not too worried. But damn does that thing hurt. She just has to hope it doesn't get infected.

Eventually she falls asleep or unconscious. Whatever happens first.

* * *

It's pitch black, and Ross is lying on cold, hard stone. She tries to sit up, but lies back down when her shoulder feels like it's about to fall off and die. Good news is she's alive and her shoulder is bandaged. Bad news is her hands are tied.

An hour later, light floods the room, and she tries to adjust her eyes. When she can see clearly, she sees a middle aged man with dark brown hair coming towards her with a knife. Her eyes widen, but she keeps her mouth shut tightly. He cuts her bindings, and offers her a hand.

Should she take it?

* * *

**I am so sorry it took so long to update! Life happens. Anyways this chapter was kind of short, but I am excited for where this story is going. The content will be darker next chapter, but I will put up another warning when I post it. However, there will be some twists and turns along the way, and I am super excited for it. Thanks for all the support, and reviews are much appreciated. **

**A huge thanks to:**

**My newest followers: **_**ABBEYELF, Jess54325, TheTimeLady125, 18**_

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**My newest reviews: **_** 18, nickyriver, gwalker**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_

**Warning: This chapter contains nonconsensual sexual content. The rating has officially been changed.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_When she can see clearly, she sees a middle aged man with dark brown hair coming towards her with a knife. Her eyes widen, but she keeps her mouth shut tightly. He cuts her bindings, and offers her a hand. _

_Should she take it?_

* * *

Ross looks at his hand with a critical eye. Even if he cut her bindings now, that doesn't mean he is trustworthy. She prides herself in being an impeccable judge of character, and there is something about his cold, hard eyes that doesn't sit well with her.

"Is there something you would like to say, _sir_?" she questions scoffing at his extended hand.

He responds with a polite southern drawl while slowly retracting his hand, "Please, there is no need to call me sir. People 'round here call me Governor," he pauses noticing the incredulous look on her face. "I didn't ask for it, but some names just kinda stick. I would feel better if I could talk to you while you were sitting up."

"Wouldn't that be great if I could make _you_ feel better?" she hisses sarcastically. "Well seeing as your man shot me in the fucking shoulder and bound my hands, I should definitely be doing my best to make your time spent here more fucking pleasant. Is that right?"

Ross knows that response would no doubt get a rise out of him and inwardly scolds herself for being stupid. She looks up to see a psychotically calm glint in his icy blue eyes. It sends a chill down her spine that can only mean danger for her.

She gasps in pain as he swiftly and roughly picks her up to take her to a chair. After forcefully pushing her onto the chair, he quickly grabs another chair spinning it around to sit with the back of it between his legs. He looks at her with stony eyes while Ross tries to catch her breath.

"For a second there, while you were lying down you looked pretty innocent. Then you opened your mouth. Merle warned me about that. I'm hoping that mouth of yours can help me a bit. You see, your people are dangerous. They pose a threat, but if you tell me where they are we'll bring them here. For their benefit, of course. I already had a little talk with Maggie, and Merle had a talk with Glenn. You're the last of the bunch. Care to share?"

Ross just stares at him blankly cocking her head to the side. She hopes he knows how stupid he sounds. Maybe he doesn't, so she reminds him just in case.

"You seem like a somewhat educated person. So I think you know how stupid you sound right now. I mean I hope you don't think I'd be that dense to tell you where my people are."

He laughs an empty laugh. With a maniacal smile, he says, "Oh I had a feeling you would say something like that. So we'll try this the hard way. Sound good?"

"Always up for something interesting," she states gritting her teeth.

"That's wonderful. Seeing as your injured, I'll try my best to go a little bit easier on you. Like I'll take off your shirt so you don't have to do it yourself," the Governor smirks at the flash of terror that quickly passes in her eyes.

He stands up and quickly grabs her waist so she can't flee. She squirms in protest and whispers, "Please don't."

The Governor just looks at her with a self-satisfied grin and quickly takes off her shirt. He then forcefully pulls down her pants, and as he starts to stand back up, Ross kicks him in the balls. She quickly stands up and backs away to the corner of the room. There's nowhere she can go. She's trapped with this lunatic, and no one can save her. The Governor has all the power, and she can't do a fucking thing. She stands there with her back against the wall ready to go down fighting. He hisses in pain, "You'll regret that, honey. Merle! Come in here, and give me a hand."

Merle walks in and sees Ross backed against the corner with her bra and underwear on. Understanding, he looks at the man in the middle of the room bent over. "What do you need, sir?"

"Tie her arms behind her and hold her down for a second while I gather myself."

Merle walks over and spins her around while she struggles against him. So he grabs her shoulder, and she cries out in agony. Breathing heavy, she utters, "Bastard."

Tying her hands together, he sweetly tells her, "Sweet thing, I thought we already got passed name calling."

"Then don't call me sweet thing, you son of a bitch."

He spins her to face him, and she spits in his face with a bright smile aimed at him. A scowl forms on his mouth as he wipes the spit off his face. Pushing his knife against her neck, he turns his head, "Is this necessary? We could just kill her."

The Governor, now able to walk, states, "She insulted me, and she needs a wake-up call from that big mouth of hers. Now leave us."

Merle nods his head, and glances at Ross with an almost sympathetic look in his eyes. He walks out leaving the two of them.

"Well let's get this over with you piece of shit," she tells him with a stone cold look in her eyes.

"Don't worry, honey, this might take a while."

And in that instant, she lets herself be scared for five seconds. She learned this from her father in a time that seems like another life.

"_Give the fear five seconds. Let it consume you for five seconds. Then when it's over, you give fear the finger and tell yourself you can get through it."_

Ross used it throughout med school and everything in between. She had almost forgotten about it during the outbreak because she was constantly terrified. But maybe this would give her the strength she would need for what she believes to be the scariest moment of her life.

…_1_

He pushes her to the ground and crawls on top of her.

…_2_

He unclasps her bra, and gives her a once over. He whispers to her, "I count myself lucky you're actually attractive. It would be so much worse having to look at you if you were ugly."

…_3_

He sucks on her breasts, and groans in pleasure when he feels her nipples harden.

…_4_

She feels him get hard and feels a tear forming. "Don't cry," he says angrily and slaps her.

…_5_

Her time for fear is up. She lies there unfeeling. She can feel the bruises forming on her body from him forcing her. "If you try anything, I'll make this a hell of a lot worse," he utters breathlessly. So she gives in.

And then he rips off her underwear, and moans in pleasure at the sight. She doesn't respond. She can't even feel tears forming anymore.

Then he shoves his cock inside her so hard, she feels a trickle of blood down her leg. He grinds and forcefully rocks inside of her. She arches her back a little in response and immediately curses herself.

"I knew you'd warm up to me," he whispers in her ear. In a flash of rage, she bites his ear ripping it, and it starts to bleed.

He groans in pain instead of pleasure, and it's the first time she feels anything besides pain. He curses loudly, but then smirks as he takes his dick out. She breathes a sigh of relief thinking it's finally over, when he shoves his cock back in more vigorous than ever. She screams out in pain.

After about fifteen minutes of him rocking forcefully in her again, he stops and slides out of her. The Governor then stands up and pulls up his pants.

"Hope you learned your lesson," he darkly states while kicking her in the shoulder for good measure. She groans, almost incoherent. "Merle! Get the doctor. I need him to look at my ear."

He walks out giving her one last smirk.

Ross just lays there. Through blurry vision she can see the bruises and scratches on her now fragile body.

Tears start streaming down her face, but she doesn't feel them or anything for that matter. They keep falling even when she falls unconscious.

* * *

Ross groggily begins to wakes up. The memories of what happened fill her mind. The traumatized girl lets an inaudible sound come out, but forces herself to stay quiet.

She makes herself sit up, and her body cries out in agony. However, she notices she is dressed and her cuts are bandaged. She is surprised at first but doesn't question it.

Ross sits there for a few hours, asking God why he is so cruel. She then gives up trying to understand her fucked up life. She is going to make the Governor remember her name. She is going to make him pay one day if she doesn't die first. That is the only thing she holds onto.

Suddenly, Merle opens the door. "You're coming with me."

"You gonna fuck me too?"

"Not my style, sweet thing."

He walks over to Ross and tries to help her up. She flinches at his touch and painfully tries to back away.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he states, annoyed. He puts her on her feet, and she almost falls over. He steadies her.

"Don't fucking touch me," she hisses.

He raises his hands in defense. She takes a step grunting, and crumples to the ground. Having had enough, Merle picks her up and puts her good arm around his shoulder helping her walk.

"I can't believe you're Daryl's brother. You're such fucker. You know that?" Ross mutters while he drags her to Glenn's holding room.

"Yeah, whatever," he grunts.

She looks up to see a bruised and beaten Glenn. He starts to come at them with a wooden steak of some sort when one of Merle's guys points a gun at him.

"Ross?" he asks concerned. She just grunts in response.

Then the Governor walks in with a shirtless Maggie. Ross backs into Merle out of what she can only assume is exceptional fear. With a spark of rage in Glenn's eyes, he starts after him again.

"Hey! Drop it," Merle shouts at him. Glenn glances at Maggie again and lets it fall to the floor.

The Governor's hold on Maggie tightens, and he pulls out a gun and aims it at her head.

"We're through with games. Now one of you is gonna give up your camp," he states with authority. He looks at Glenn's tightly shut mouth, and walks over to him. He then aims the gun at Glenn's head.

"No!" Ross cries.

Maggie steps up, with a fear so strong in her eyes, "The prison."

Ross makes a sound of disbelief. It was over.

He looks at Maggie in surprise, "The one near Nunez? That place is overrun."

"We took it."

"How many are you?"

"10. We have 10 now."

"10 people beat that whole prison of biters?" he asks. Maggie just nods. He lowers the gun and turns to Maggie. He touches her face and holds her, "Hey, hey. Shh, shh, shh. It's all right." Maggie just stares at Glenn the whole time tears forming in her eyes.

"Get your filthy hands off her, you bastard!" Ross shouts at him.

The Governor pushes Maggie to Glenn. He then walks to Ross and hits her across the face. "No need to be jealous, Ross," he smirks. She just spits the blood welling up in her mouth into his face.

"Leave her here," he mutters, wiping the blood and spit off his face. "This isn't the end," he whispers in her ear. She shudders in fear and turns her head.

Merle walks her to the wall and leaves her leaning against it. When the door shuts, she just slides down the wall and sighs a sigh of relief.

Glenn and Maggie sit beside her in silence. Glenn steals a glance at her, "Ross are you okay? What did he do?"

"Nothing important," she mutters looking away from him. He doesn't push her thankfully.

Silence takes over, but then she hears Glenn whisper to Maggie. "Look at me. Look at me! Maggie, did he—"

"No. He barely touched me. All this time, running from walkers—you forget what people do, have always done. Look at what they did to you."

"Doesn't matter. As long as he didn't—"

"No. I promise."

Ross just looks at her hands and keeps silent. She decides she would do her best not to tell anyone. She didn't want their pity. She didn't want them to try to comfort her. She didn't want them to know how the Governor would always be the man who destroyed something inside of her.

Glenn gets up slowly, and limps to the dead walker in the room. She watches as he pulls the bone out of the corpse's arm. The crunch of bone and flesh tearing makes her want to hurl. Ross looks away. She hears him give the bone to Maggie as a weapon. But she just sits against the wall, still.

Glenn walks over to her, with the steak he had made earlier. He tries to lift up her chin, but she flinches away immediately with look of fear in her eyes. He doesn't try to touch her again, but with a look of shock, he puts the weapon beside her.

"Can you walk?" he asks Ross.

"Just help me up."

"Will you let me touch you?"

"Yes," she mutters.

The beaten girl shakes as he pulls her up to her feet. Ross takes a few steps timidly. It's a struggle, but she manages.

"When they open the door, Maggie and I will attack. Ross you are the back up if something goes wrong. Okay?"

"Fine," she says. He looks at her with surprise that she isn't fighting him on it but doesn't say anything.

And then they wait.

* * *

Finally, they hear the door begin to creek open, and chaos begins. Glenn attacks Merle, and Maggie sticks the bone weapon into the other man's neck. All is well, until Merle puts a knife to Glenn's neck. Ross comes out of hiding with her wooden steak going after Merle, and he swiftly pushes her down. He says, "Sit down before you hurt yourself again, sweet thing." Maggie then spins around with a gun to Merle's head.

"Let them go!" she screams.

Merle puts his hands up with a grin. "Okay."

Glenn and Ross both start to stand up when another one of Woodbury's guys points a gun at Maggie's head.

"Shit," Ross utters in despair.

Merle drags the three of them back into the room lining them up on their knees. Maggie starts to cry, and Glenn grabs her hand. Ross just kneels there with a blank look on her face. She inwardly thinks at least she will die fighting.

Merle walks around them. "Glad we could catch up," he says in a singsong voice. Then they put bags over their heads. Ross feels happy to die in the darkness, as she believes it's fitting.

Then, unexpectedly, they tell the three of them to get up and get moving. Ross feels Merle put her on her feet and pushes her gently in the direction of what she believes is the door.

Suddenly she hears a clank, and gas starts surrounding them. The men groan and fall over as does she. What the fuck is going on? And that's when she feels steady hands take her out of that miserable building. Could the group really be here to save them?

Abruptly, someone takes off her bag, and then she's staring into concerned but familiar blue eyes. And she lets out a sigh of relief. Finally.

"Rick," she breathes.

"I'm here."

That's all she needs. It's all she wants to hear.

Ross leans on him as they make their way to a new building. He sets her down and stalks to the window. Daryl walks over to her and glances at the wounds covering her body. "What did they do to you?" he asks, eyes wide.

"I'm fine. Worry about Glenn," she responds quickly looking at Glenn.

"Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie questions him.

"How bad are you hurt?" he asks Glenn, not acknowledging Maggie.

"I'll be all right," he responds.

"Ross needs to get outta here quick. She can barely move," Daryl states to Rick.

He looks at her with flash of worry, "You're right. We need to get them out."

"Where's that woman?" Maggie looks to Rick.

"She was right behind us," he says looking around.

Oscar intervenes, "Maybe she was spotted. Want me to go look for her?"

"No. We gotta get them out of here. She's on her own." Rick responds stonily.

"Daryl, this was Merle. It was. He did this," Glenn states angrily to Daryl.

"You saw him?" Daryl asks almost hopefully.

"Face to face. Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us," Glenn says with a bitter tone.

"Yeah he shot me," Ross tells Daryl.

"S-So my brother's this governor?" Daryl asks, worried.

"No, it's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something," Maggie states.

"Does he know I'm still with you?" Daryl asks.

"He does now. Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out," Glenn says worriedly.

Rick assures him, "No need to apologize,"

"They're gonna be looking for us," Maggie says.

"We have to get back. Can y'all walk? We got a car a few miles out," Rick tells them.

"I'm good," Glenn promises him.

"Don't even try to say you can walk, Ross," Daryl tells her. He tries to help her, but she flinches. He looks at her in confusion. She doesn't want him to remind her of Merle, but he did in that instant. She forces the feeling down. Ross then nods her head telling him she's ready now. He lifts her up, and she puts good arm around his shoulder.

"All right, let's go," Rick says to the group. He glances at Ross with concern.

"I got her," Daryl tells him. She looks to Rick and nods in agreement.

After Daryl and Rick talk about seeing Merle. It is decided that Rick needs Daryl right now, and Daryl agrees to stand by him. Quite a bromance moment right there, and it made Ross feel a little more safe.

They throw more smoke bombs out and make their way to the cars. Shooting and fighting their way to another building for cover.

"I'm gonna send out some cover fire," Daryl tells them, but looks to Ross for approval.

"I'll be fine, Daryl. Thank you," she says to him.

"But we need to stay together!" Maggie shouts.

"It's the only way," he tells her.

Daryl heads out first, and then they head out after him. Ross struggles immensely. But she makes it to the other side with the rest of them.

Suddenly, she spots a head of curly blonde hair. She tells herself it's not true, but calls out anyways, "Zoe?"

The woman turns around, and they lock eyes for a split second before Ross is lifted up by Rick to get across the wall.

* * *

**WOAH. That was a ton of shit to lay on you guys. Kind of a cliffhanger? Anyways to explain, I have not experienced rape. However, a friend of mine has, and I have read many accounts. Ross' character will be going through depression and bunch of other things that I hope will make this seem real. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reading. **

**A huge thanks to:**

**My newest followers: **_**Aube Vermillion, JessicaWxo, SaturnsHarp, SpicyMiller, XoxoBeautiful NightmareXoxo, dollinchains, sweetkitty, the greenwiggly**_

**My newest favorites: **_**SpicyMiller, XoxoBeautiful NightmareXoxo, thegreenwiggly, the real chosen 1**_

**My newest reviews: **_**nickyriver, gwalker, SpicyMiller**_

**P.S. Also I don't know if you guys are curious about what Ross looks like. But I found a picture of someone that is close to what I imagine her to look like. This is just an option. If you have your own idea, then don't ruin it with mine! Btw I imagine the colors in her hair are not there in this point in time in the story. I imagine her sisters told her to get rid of the colors when she graduated from med school so she looked more professional. If you would like to see the link, just pm me. I'm not sure why, but it won't let me post links on my profile or on here. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_**.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_Daryl heads out first, and then they head out after him. Ross struggles immensely. But she makes it to the other side with the rest of them. _

_Suddenly, she spots a head of curly blonde hair. She tells herself it's not true, but calls out anyways, "Zoe?"_

_The woman turns around, and they lock eyes for a split second before Ross is lifted up by Rick to get across the wall._

* * *

"Rick! Stop!" Ross shouts, as she tries to claw her way out of his grasp. But it's too late. Maggie is already helping her get to the ground.

Rick climbs over the wall and looks at Ross with confusion. "What's wrong?"

"It was Zoe! I thought she was gone, but she was right there! My sister is in fucking Woodbury," Ross urgently cries in a panic, her eyes alight with resolve.

Pulling Ross aside while Maggie is checking Glenn over, he pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation and speaks, "Ross, you've been through a lot today. From the looks of it, you could have a concussion, and I think you need to be open to the possibility that you didn't actually see her."

"But—"

"You're not the only one, I promise. I've seen things too," he states, though he doesn't actually look at her. He is in a different world.

Ross shakes her head and turns away from him. She won't push the subject as she is still new to the group, but she knows what she saw. They did just rescue her from Woodbury; however, that was probably more for Glenn and Maggie than for her. Nevertheless, Rick saved her life once again. But, hopefully when they go back for Daryl, she'll catch sight of Zoe again.

Suddenly, a woman makes her way up from under a train car.

Rick pulls out his gun immediately aiming it at her head.

"Where the hell were you? Put your hands up!" he furiously asks, "Get what you came for?!"

Glenn and Maggie point their guns at her too. Ross just stares at her and makes no move to pull a weapon on her but still wonders who the hell she is. Rick takes the katana from her back as she puts her hands up. "Where are the rest of your people?" she asks hesitantly.

"They got Oscar," Glenn whispers heatedly.

Maggie, hands still on her gun but her head in the right place, asks, "Daryl is missing. Did you see him?"

"If anything happens to him—" Rick says with a feral look in his eyes.

The woman defiantly retorts, "I brought you here to save them."

"Thanks for the help," Rick bites back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You'll need help to get them back to the prison or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me," she asserts. The girl does have balls.

Rick paces as he thinks of a plan to get Daryl back. Tired, Ross sits on the ground her body aching. She looks up to see the woman staring at her.

"Name's Ross," she says. The woman doesn't speak, just stares. "And your name is?"

She doesn't answer instead shifting her stare to Rick as he walks back and forth. Ross chuckles to herself at the stoic woman who in reality saved her life.

"Michonne," the woman finally answers.

Ross smiles and nods in recognition, but doesn't push her any further.

"Maggie you'll come with me to scout for Daryl. Glenn and Ross, y'all are gonna go with Michonne back to the car, as y'all can barely walk. And neither of you are gonna fight me on this," Rick declares waiting for an argument to hash out.

Glenn is silenced by a stern look and the hand of Maggie on his shoulder. Ross is the first to break the silence, "I'm not gonna fight you. I'm never going back there, but Rick you have to tell me if you see my sister. She's about 32, curly blond hair, green eyes, and a little shorter than me. Please, you have to."

"It's gonna be chaotic, but I'll do my best, Ross."

"Thank you."

Glenn is slow to stand up as Maggie does her best to help. Rick walks over to help Ross up, but she backs away. "I got it. No need," she quickly tells him, an uneasy look in her eyes. A little bewildered, he nods in acceptance.

"Be safe," Glenn kisses Maggie on the cheek, seemingly a little awkward.

"You too," she utters softly.

Rick gets their guns together, and tells them, "When y'all get to the car wait for us there. Don't worry we'll be back."

"Bring Daryl back," Ross tells him, a fierce look in her eyes.

Rick nods, and Maggie and him set off on another rescue mission.

Michonne motions for Glenn and Ross to follow her, and they head off back to the car. Ross and Glenn lean on each other for support, realizing, in actuality, they are at the mercy of Michonne.

When they arrive Michonne puts down the seats and tells them both to lie down and sleep while she keeps watch.

Relenting out of sheer exhaustion, Ross painfully climbs into the car with Glenn right behind her. Scooting as close to the side of the car away from Glenn, she closes her eyes. Snapping them open immediately, she shudders at the sight of the Governor's face in her mind. She'll never get far enough away.

After about fifteen minutes, Glenn whispers to her in the darkness, "You still awake?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Do you think they'll get Daryl?"

"Rick won't leave until they do."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Ross, I'm so fucking angry."

"It'll get better with time. Just don't let it eat you up from the inside," she murmurs, thinking she'll never take her own advice.

"I guess. Do you want to tell me what happened to you back there?"

Ross is silent, debating on whether to tell him or not. "No. I'm not ready."

"Okay, well I'm here when you are. You know that right?"

"I know." Just as exhaustion is about to take over, she whispers to him in low voice, "Thank you, Glenn."

* * *

Michonne shakes them both awake. Glenn gets out of the car and leans against it, searching the woods for any sign of the group. Ross gets the first aid, and starts redressing her gunshot wound. Cursing to herself, she realizes she can't bandage the hole on her back. "Michonne, come here for a sec," she calls out to her.

Michonne walks to her with a questioning look on her face. Ross shoves the bandages in her arms and turns around. "Please do it, Glenn's worried enough as it is without seeing how gross that probably looks," she pleads.

"What if I think it looks gross?" Michonne questions.

"Guess you'll have suck it up then," Ross tells her, chuckling as Michonne mutters about how disgusting it is. Michonne touches her back, and Ross flinches a little, but calms herself knowing it's just a woman.

After Michonne finishes and they've waited another hour, Glenn suddenly shouts, "Rick! Oh thank God!"

Smiling a little, Ross stands up and slowly makes her way to the recent returnees. She hears Rick tell Glenn to back up and Glenn shout, "What the hell is he doing here?!"

Hurrying a little, Ross sees Glenn pointing his gun and screaming about how he tried to kill him. Then she sees where the gun is pointed. Merle. A wave of loathing washes over her. "What the fuck?"

"Hey pretty thing! Didn't think you'd make it outta there alive," Merle says his eyes settling on her with a smirk on his face. Rushing forward with new purpose, Ross gets her machete out. And then Rick is holding her back.

Struggling against his grip, she screams, "He just let it fucking happen! You sick bastard! I'll kill you! I'll…I'll"

And then as fast as the rage came, it deflates, leaving her empty again. Rick finally lets her go, watching to see if she'll explode again.

"You gotta put a leash on that one, sheriff," Merle tells Rick.

"Shut the fuck up, jackass," Daryl snaps at his brother. Ross just leans against a tree, not hearing anything. She can't handle Merle right now. She realizes she'll never fully get away from the Governor. He's going to come back in retaliation. And the thought of seeing him again scares her more than anything she's ever been scared of in her life.

"Everyone calm down!" Rick shouts.

Daryl swats Glenn's gun away, "Hey! Get that thing outta my face!"

"Man looks like you've gone native, brother," Merle laughs.

"No more than you hanging with that psycho," Daryl retorts.

Merle just chuckles, "Oh yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby."

Ross just tunes them out as Merle exposes Michonne for knowing Andrea. And then it's all too much chaos, so Rick knocks Merle out.

"Thank you," Daryl mutters.

They walk to the street to discuss what to do with Merle. Ross just wants him gone, but she guesses she probably won't have a vote. So she listens to them fight.

"It won't work."

"It's gotta," Daryl asserts.

"It'll stir things up," Rick tells him, shaking his head.

"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle," Daryl says, trying to prove his point.

"I'm not having him at the prison. Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn snaps.

"He ain't a rapist," Daryl states sharply.

"Well, his buddy is," Glenn bites back. Ross winces, as Glenn glances at her. She knew he'd already known, but she didn't want it coming up like this.

As they discuss further, Daryl brings up what to do with Michonne. Rick makes it clear she'll be leaving right after they fix her up. And even after they tell Daryl he's a part of the family of the group, Daryl verifies their fear, "No him, no me."

"Daryl, you don't have to do that."

"It was always Merle and I before this."

"You serious? You're just gonna leave like that?" Glenn shouts, enraged.

Daryl, acceptance in his voice, mutters, "You'd do the same thing."

"What do you want us to tell Carol?"

"She'll understand. Say good-bye to your pop for me," looking to me, Daryl says, the corners of his mouth turned down, "I'm sorry for whatever he let happen to you."

Ross nods in thanks and shock at clearly the better brother in more ways than one. He shouldn't have to leave. Ross turns away, as Rick goes and tries to convince him once more. How can someone so good leave them for someone so appalling? It doesn't make sense to Ross. But nothing makes sense anymore, and as Merle and Daryl leave, they pile into the car to finally go home.

Watching the trees and occasional walker pass by, Ross lets a silent tear make its way down her dirt and blood covered face. She's changed. She's not Ross anymore, just an empty shell. Glancing ahead, she notices Rick's tired eyes watching her in the rearview mirror. She quickly looks away embarrassed he saw her crying, and the car comes to a stop. A tree and truck are blocking the way, and they all get out to help.

"I should have been there with you," Glenn suddenly tells Rick.

"You were in no condition," Rick says sternly.

Furious, Glenn shouts, "But my girlfriend was?"

"Glenn, this isn't about us," Maggie intervenes.

"I should have been there," Glenn barks.

Getting annoyed, Rick asserts, "Hey, hey, you didn't come back with us 'cause you could barely walk."

"What about her? What about me? Do you know what he did to her?! Do you have any clue what they did to Ross?!" he roars at Rick. Rick glances back at Ross with guilt in his crystal blue eyes. She turns away and walks to the back of the car. Putting her hands on her knees, she proceeds to throw up. Wiping her mouth off, she slides down the car as Rick and Glenn continue to yell at each other.

This is all because of one man. And maybe if she lets the rage consume her, it will distract her from the real problem. Well look at how that's working out for Glenn. She worries he'll put the blame on himself because it's something he would do. She questions once again why the world is the way it is. Why she's even still alive. And if it's really worth it. Is it worth it to keep falling?

She looks up to see Rick looking at her with distress written all over his face. He crouches down so he's level with her, and quietly states, "I don't even know what to say."

"Say you saw my sister."

"I can't, Ross."

Tears well up in her eyes, but she shakes them off, "Tell me I'm not alone."

"You're not alone, Ross. We're gonna survive this together."

* * *

**Wow. It's been a while. I've missed this story, and I'm sorry it's been so long. Thanks for anyone who is still reading. **

**Thank you to all my follows, favorites, and reviews. It means the world.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Walking Dead**_**.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_She looks up to see Rick looking at her with distress written all over his face. He crouches down so he's level with her, and quietly states, "I don't even know what to say."_

"_Say you saw my sister."_

"_I can't, Ross."_

_Tears well up in her eyes, but she shakes them off, "Tell me I'm not alone."_

"_You're not alone, Ross. We're gonna survive this together."_

* * *

She finally catches sight of it. The prison. Her safe haven. If someone told her a year and a half ago she'd be this relieved to see a prison, she'd have told them they were absolutely bonkers. But here she is, more calm than she's been in days.

As they approach the gate, Carl and Carol quickly open and close it. To see them safe fills Ross with warmth, and she's been cold for so long it seems. Rick steps out of the car quickly enveloping Carl in a hug. The smile on Carl's face is infectious, and she feels the corners of her mouth turning up at the sight of it.

"Drive 'em up. I'll meet you there," Rick tells Glenn. He nods and they're off to the cell block. Rick is no doubt breaking the news to Carol about Daryl leaving. She'll most likely be devastated. They are what Ross would call kindred spirits.

As Glenn stops the car, Hershel and Beth are rushing out of the prison to greet them. It's a welcome sight. Glenn rushes to shake Hershel's hand, but Hershel just encompasses him in a grateful hug. Beth quickly hugs him too.

"I'll have a look at you inside," Hershel says while Glenn is getting Michonne out of the car. He nods and then takes Michonne to her cell as Rick had directed.

As Hershel is looking over Maggie with Beth, Ross slowly makes her way out of the car. She might always be an outsider it seems. Something she's dealt with her whole life, Ross has always been a step back from the people that surrounded her. She never had too much of a problem making friends, but it never passed that first level. Always shallow. Unless she was talking to her sisters. They were her anchor. So what happens to a ship without an anchor? It sails aimlessly, crashing into the shores.

Her thoughts are cut off by small arms enclosing her in a tight hug. Beth's bright blue eyes crinkle in a small smile just for her, their innocence shining through. "You made it," she whispers with contentment in her tone. Ross just nods in shock, but eventually lets a smile grace her face.

Rick, Carol, and Carl are making their way up. Beth quickly goes to Rick, hugging him and giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek. She smiles and takes Maggie with her to go into the prison. Ross snickers at the shock on Rick's face as Beth walks away. He just rolls his eyes at her antics and motions for them to go inside without Hershel and him.

Carl immediately goes to Ross looking up at her, "Everyone was worried about you. I'm glad you're back, Ross."

"Glad to be back, buddy," Ross tells him as she pushes his hat down in front of his face. He beams at her, and they make their way into the prison both with smiles on their faces.

* * *

As it turns out, four new survivors found their way into the prison. Ross can't say she has much of an opinion on this, as she sees the pros and cons to bringing people into the group. But seeing as the prick who rules Woodbury might retaliate, they might consider the extra manpower.

She sits on her bed trying not to dwell on him, but every time she closes her eyes, the Governor's face is embedded in her mind.

"Hello, Ross," she hears a voice say. She opens her eyes to see Hershel bringing a chair over. He seems to have taken well to the crutches.

"Hershel," she nods in recognition.

"Looks like you had yourself a rough time of it."

"You could say that."

"God brought you back to us for a reason. Don't forget that."

"Well he sure likes to make my life a living hell."

"He only gives hard times to those he believes can handle it."

Ross just shakes her head, "Handling it might be a little too much to ask."

"Well you've got people who can help with that," he tells her and then looks her up and down. "These bandages need to be redressed," Hershel pauses. He sees the bruises with outlines of handprints and shakes his head. "Oh, Ross."

"I don't need your pity," Ross snarls. "I don't need it, and I sure as hell don't want it."

"I'm sorry this happened to you, my friend. I cannot offer you much, but I am always here," he expresses, his eyes shining with sincerity and love.

Her anger seeps out at the sight of Hershel's earnestness, and she whispers, "I just need to be alone." He nods and gets up. When his back is turned as he heads out, Ross mutters to him, "Thank you."

She falls back onto her bed with a sigh. He genuinely cares about her wellbeing, and it's refreshing. Something about this group is more of a family than any of the others she's been a part of. Their loyalty and willingness to do anything and everything for each member is astounding. Closing her eyes, she falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

_Zoe, Ross, and their mother were walking into the gas station. Ross' medal was bouncing up and down on her chest as she could not contain her excitement. She had just won first in her __second grade science fair, and her mom was getting her favorite candy as a treat. Zoe was rewarded one too because she apparently didn't like being dragged to an elementary school science fair. _

"_Just one, girls!" their mother laughed, as Ross was already dropping candy because she had so many Reese's cups piled up in her arms. _

"_But–" she protested. _

_Her mom gave her a pointed look and said, "No but's."_

"_Fine," Ross pouted and started putting them away. _

"_Stop pouting, Ross. You're acting like brat," Zoe told her with an annoyed look. Ross just stuck her tongue out at her, and Zoe responded, "Real mature, little sister."_

"_Y'all stop," their mother stated. "You're sisters. One day you're gonna need each other, and you're gonna have to stick together, no matter how much you annoy each other," she winked at them with a grin and stood up from her crouched position. _

_A man was getting in line, and Ross smiled up at him, "I just won the science fair!" She pointed to the medal on her chest and said, "I even beat Thomas, and he did a volcano. Mine was way cooler though, if I do say so myself."_

"_I'm sure it was, kid," he said with smile that didn't reach his eyes and turned around to pay._

_Her mom's blue eyes crinkled as she laughed at her daughter's antics, and Zoe ruffled her hair with a snicker._

"_What?" Ross asked, not understanding how she was funny._

_Zoe and her mother just laughed but stopped abruptly at the sound of a cocked gun. Their mother's eyes widened as the man shouted at the cashier, "Give me everything that's in the register and whatever you got in your pockets," he turned to look at the other few people in line. "Everyone get down, and you won't get hurt." _

_The three of them slowly put their knees to the floor, and Ross and Zoe were pushed by their mother behind her. Tears streamed down Ross' face already as Zoe wrapped her up in a hug. _

_The cashier started getting the money out of the register and Ross saw him push a button under the counter. But the man saw it too. "What the fuck did you just push?!"_

"_N-Nothing" he stuttered._

"_You just made this a lot fucking harder than it had to be," the man said. And then the cashier dropped to the floor with a bullet hole in his forehead. _

_Another man, who was in line too, got up and attacked the robber. Their mother started scooting away with Ross and Zoe still behind her. But in the struggle between the man and robber, a shot went off. _

_And then their mother's curly blond hair started turning red. She had been shot in the stomach, and it was seeping out around her as she had fallen on her back. _

"_No!" Zoe screamed. _

"_Mommy!" Ross shrieked. _

_They both rushed to her side. She was coughing up blood, but choked out, "Tell Cleo and your father I love them. Be brave, my darlings. I love you both."_

_The robber knocked the man out and shot him in the head. He turned around and pointed the gun at the crying Zoe and Ross. His crazed eyes looked between them and their mother, and then he looked to the cash register. He took the money and rushed out of the store, without even a glance back at them. _

_The police sirens were getting closer, but when they looked back at their mom, her eyes were lifeless. She was dead. Zoe looked to Ross and shook her shoulders, "Ross. Ross! Ross, wake up!"_

* * *

Her eyes shoot open. Rick's eyes are staring frantically at her as he holds her shoulders in a death grip. "It was just dream, Ross," he tells her with concern.

"No. It was a memory," she states. Her face is completely emotionless. Sitting up it's like she's a robot.

"You were screaming, Ross. Are you sure you're alright?" he asks. He lifts his hand to her face and thumbs away the tears. She turns her head away immediately, and he drops his hand with a wounded look on his face.

"Nothing I haven't dealt with before. Don't worry about me, Rick. I've been having that dream since I was 8. I'm sorry if I caused a fuss," she tells him, her eyes utterly blank.

"Don't be sorry. We're gonna go talk to the new people if you're up to it," Rick says. His eyes search hers, and he opens his mouth to say something else but closes it as if thinking better of it.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a sec."

"Alright. We'll be waiting for ya."

She looks in the mirror at the bags under her red rimmed eyes. She has a busted lip and a black eye. There are bruises on her arms, and she lifts up her shirt to find even more. She looks like she's been in one hell of a fight. Ross sighs at the sight of her battered up body and lets out a painful noise at the thought of her dream. She puts on her best stoic face and turns around to make her way back to the group.

Rick gives her a troubled look, but Ross just looks the other way. They all walk into the cell block where four survivors await them.

The bigger one speaks out, "I'm Tyreese and this is my sister Sasha. That's Allen and his son Ben."

They explain how they got to the cell block with the help of Carl and lost their friend Donna.

"I'm sorry about your friend. We know what that's like," Rick tells them.

The one named Tyreese speaks first again, "Hershel said you could use some extra hands. We're no stranger to hard work. We'll go out and get our own food, stay out of your hair. You got a problem with another group, we'll help with that, too. Anything to contribute."

Rick looks down for a moment and finally says, "No."

"Please," Sasha pleads. "It's like '10 Little Indians' out there. It's just us now."

"No."

Hershel intervenes and pulls Rick aside. They speak in hushed voices. Rick looks to be agreeing with Hershel until he looks up to the upper level. He pinches the bridge of his nose and walks to look up at it. Ross follows his eye sight and sees nothing, and that worries her to no end.

"No, no, no, no, no," he says as he shakes his head. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?!" he asks.

"Dad?" Carl questions worriedly.

"Why are you- no. I can't help you. Get out!" Rick shouts.

The four survivors are taken back. But Ross isn't sure if Rick is actually talking to them. His eyes are focused on something that isn't there. And then he takes out his gun.

"Get out!" he roars.

Ross puts Carl behind her immediately, and Tyreese speaks, "We'll leave! We're going. Okay? Ain't nobody got to get shot. We're going."

"What are you doing here?!" Rick shouts, and Glenn just starts guiding the other group away.

"Just go! Go!" Glenn tells them.

And they're gone. Rick settles down, but they're gone. Ross looks at him with disquiet written all over her face.

They've got one hell of a fucked up group.

* * *

**Poor Rick. He's gone crazy seeing Lori in a white dress. I thought I'd give some more of Ross' backstory. Anyways I've been getting some reviews and pm's saying they like Daryl and Ross more? I hadn't even thought of that. But if anyone agrees just let me know. What you guys want has a lot of weight.**

**And again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all my follows, favorites, and reviews. **


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